London Marathon's youngest participant is running on her 18th birthday to pay tribute to her mother. Lucy Jones, 17, from Hull, is taking on the annual 26.2-mile race alongside her father, Chris Jones.
They're running in memory of Lucy's mother, who died when she was just nine years old, and her grandmother, who passed away last year. Lucy, who turns 18 on Sunday (April 27), is running her first marathon to raise money for Macmillan Cancer Support.
Lucy told the Mirror: "I chose Macmillan because my mum passed away from cancer when I was nine. When she was alive, she did a lot of fundraising for Macmillan. She'd do the coffee mornings, and she did happen to raise quite a lot of money for them.
"It's been such a big part of my life. So, I thought in memory of her, I would do it for Macmillan, make her proud, and continue to spread awareness about cancer."
She continued: "I know she’d be cheering me on and pushing me to do it." Her father is fundraising for Asthma + Lung UK.
The duo signed up for the challenge after Lucy saw last year's race on TV at the gym and came up with the idea. "I'd done a little bit of running, not really much. I did a few 10ks, but I definitely struggled with them," Lucy shared.
But she was determined to push herself to achieve her lifelong goal of completing the London Marathon and make her birthday truly memorable.
Lucy explained: "I thought it would be quite cool for me to say I ran a marathon when people go, 'And what did you do on your 18th birthday?' and people go, 'Well, I went out on a night out.'" She jokingly added that she wanted the "bragging rights."
Because of her age, her dad had to make a few calls, but they got the go-ahead and started training. The duo recently completed a half marathon, and now they've got one final challenge left.
With not long to go, Lucy is looking forward to her birthday. She said: " I'm excited to do it. I'm a little bit nervous, but that's bound to happen. I know the atmosphere and everything will push me through. It’ll be hard, but we’ll get to the finish line, no matter what time it will be, we’ll get there."
More than 56,000 people are expected to take part in the 45th edition of the London Marathon on Sunday, 27 April, when the event aims to become the world’s biggest marathon. The 26.2-mile event is the world's largest annual one-day fundraising event, which brings together first-time runners, charity fundraisers, and professional athletes.
The 2026 TCS London Marathon ballot is now open – for your chance to be part of it, sign up at tcslondonmarathon2026.com. The 2026 TCS London Marathon will take place on Sunday 26 April 2026.
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