The virtual London Marathon took place for the second successive year on Sunday 3 October 2021, with thousands of people taking to their local streets, paths and trails to run the iconic event their way.

Among those who took on their own London Marathon in 2021 were sisters Laura and Nicola from Canterbury, Kent. They ran the virtual event in memory of their dad, Clive, who died in November 2020 – only three months after a shock diagnosis of pancreatic cancer. 

Miles in Clive's memory

The sisters felt the virtual TCS London Marathon – which took place on the same day as the mass event in central London – offered them the perfect opportunity to honour their dad's memory and complete 26.2 miles on their own terms.

Nicola said: “We signed up for the virtual event as we thought it would be easier to organise – and soon decided that running in Canterbury and visiting points of significance to our dad along the way would make it much more meaningful.”

Raising more than £1,496 for Pancreatic Cancer UK (PCUK), the sisters have no regrets about running the virtual London Marathon.

Nicola added: “I’m glad we did it, as we still felt part of the PCUK team and the London Marathon mass event thanks to the Official TCS London Marathon App – but we were able to do it in a way that meant so much to us. The sense of achievement crossing the Finish Line was amazing.”

The most inclusive London Marathon

The virtual TCS London Marathon has enabled participants of all abilities to complete the event wherever they are in the world – either individually or in groups – with support teams and cheer squads following loved ones around their chosen routes and encouraging them every step of the way.

With tens of thousands of participants having completed the virtual event since in started in 2020, it is the most inclusive version of the London Marathon in its history.