What an incredible effort from our London Marathon 2026 team, who took on the challenge on Sunday and have already raised over £18,000 for The Countryside Alliance Foundation.

Huge congratulations to the team – Gemma Raymond, Hugh Fortescue, Madeleine Bunbury and Philippa Brown - who took on the challenge in support of our work defending rural communities, livelihoods and traditions. We are immensely proud of everything they have accomplished – not just on Sunday, but in the months of dedication it took to get to that start line.

Philippa, field master for the Grafton Hunt, is a keen runner and loved taking on the challenge on Sunday.

“It was an incredible experience - the energy and roar from the crowds from start to finish were unforgettable. Knowing I had so much support and amazing donations kept me running to the finish line. Thinking of doing it? Sign up and go for it! You won’t regret it!”

Hugh put in an outstanding performance, finishing in under four hours. He gave us his reaction to running the marathon:

“What a day! I wasn’t quite expecting to do it as quickly as I did, I was just hoping to finish and enjoy the day as much as possible. It really was just a case of sucking in the pain and putting one foot in front of the other. The support from the crowd was amazing and they had some very amusing signs, a few of which asked you to remind yourself why you were putting yourself through the whole experience. For me, it was definitely the thought of the countryside, to protect and preserve it for future generations!”

Gemma has run several marathons before, but the London Marathon has long been on her bucket list:

“I absolutely loved every minute of it, the atmosphere on the day was incredible. To experience that and raise money for the Countryside Alliance at the same time made it truly special and something I’ll never forget.”

Reflecting on her herculean effort on Sunday, Madeleine tells us:

“Running in the London Marathon made me proud to be British. I chose to run for the Countryside Alliance because I am a great supporter of trail hunting and want to do all I can to fight the ban.

“I would be truly honoured to take Sir Keir for a day out trail hunting, so he could talk with the rural community and learn who they are while trotting along and enjoying the views for miles over the fabulous English countryside of which he is Prime Minister.”

For those of you who have yet to donate, there's still time! Every additional pound raised will make a huge difference to our work:
Donate to TCAF 2026 London Marathon team