Manchester Marathon 2023 runners raise record £2.5m for charity

Thousands of people running for charity causes at the Manchester Marathon this Sunday raised a “staggering” £2.5 million - the largest sum in the run’s history.

Around 3,750 of the 27,000 participants were running for charities including Alzeheimer’s Society, Cancer Research UK and the British Heart Foundation. They inspired over 90,000 donations, beating the marathon’s record of £1.9 million from last year.

Andrew Smith, CEO of Human Race said: “The marathon has always been a great way to raise vital funds for so many wonderful causes, and it’s amazing to see all the hard work and dedication that people put in.”

One such participant was BBC Race Across the World winner Emon Choudhury. After meeting his friend Rob Burrow, the Leeds Rhino player who was diagnosed with MND in 2019, Choudhury decided to raise money for the Motor Neurone Disease Association (MNDA) by running the marathon on an empty stomach - 25 days into Ramadan fasting.

Mr Choudhury managed to complete the marathon in 5 hours and 11 minutes while raising around £5000 for the cause. His challenge continues tomorrow at the London Marathon.

To enter the 2024 marathon see here for more info and for photos from 2023 see here.