Best Marathons for Charity Running in 2026

The London Marathon holds the Guinness World Record as the largest annual one-day fundraising event, with participants raising over £1.4 billion since 1981 and a record £87.5 million in a single year. New York and Chicago are the other mega-fundraisers - Chicago topped $47 million for charity in one recent year. For a race built entirely around one cause, the St. Jude Memphis Marathon is the largest single fundraiser for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, generating roughly $16 million annually.

Official charity partners receive a block of guaranteed bibs. In exchange, you pledge to raise a minimum amount by a set deadline, and the charity provides a training plan, team support and race-weekend logistics. You apply through the charity's own website, not the marathon's general entry. At Chicago, charity places are first-come-first-served until they fill (often by mid-September), while London and New York charities run their own application windows. The bib bypasses the public ballot completely.

Minimums are set per charity, not per race, but the bands are fairly consistent. London sits around £2,200-£2,500, New York runs $3,000 (Bronze partners) to $3,500 (Silver), and Chicago sets a floor of $2,200. Boston is the steepest at $5,000-$15,000 (plus a $375 B.A.A. application fee), while the Marine Corps Marathon is one of the most accessible majors, with some of its 70-plus partners asking as little as $850-$1,000.

Yes. The Boston Marathon official charity program is the only way into Boston without a Boston Qualifier or an invitational entry. Each partner sets its own minimum, typically $5,000-$15,000 (Team Red Cross and Achilles ask $15,000; Dream Big asks $12,000), and the B.A.A. adds a $375 application fee on top. Check the qualifying standard you'd otherwise need with our Boston Qualifying tool.

Among the major-tier races here, the Marine Corps Marathon is the most accessible: it fields more than 70 charity partners, and some - such as the Travis Manion Foundation at $850 - set minimums well below what the World Marathon Majors require. Chicago's $2,200 floor is the lowest among the six Majors on this list. If a high pledge worries you, a charity place at one of these still gives you a guaranteed bib for far less than Boston or New York.

Several races on this list exist primarily to fund one cause. The St. Jude Memphis Marathon is the single largest fundraiser for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital - its "St. Jude Heroes" have raised close to $170 million over two decades. Columbus runs for Nationwide Children's Hospital, with patient "Mile Champions" stationed along the course, and has raised over $15 million since the partnership began. In the UK, the Rob Burrow Leeds Marathon raises funds for motor neurone disease charities. For these events, running for the cause is the point, not an add-on.