London Marathon Events Extends With Abbott
London Marathon Events (LME) has announced a three year extension with global healthcare company Abbott.
The company has been a partner of the mass participation events organiser since 2015, and will continue in the role until 2024.
The news comes just after LME announced that Tata Consultancy Services would take over from Virgin Money as the Title Sponsor of the London Marathon from the 2022 edition onwards.
Since the start of the pandemic, Abbott has produced COVID-19 testing technology, and according to LME was instrumental in helping stage the elite races at the 2020 Virgin Money London Marathon on a biosecure closed-loop circuit around St James’s Park.
The company will also support the delivery of the 2021 Virgin Money London Marathon, which is set to take place on 3rd October, with some 50,000 people expected to run the traditional marathon route from Blackheath to the Mall. Meanwhile, another 50,000 will take part virtually from around the world – a number which will create a total of 100,000 participants, which would make it the biggest marathon ever staged.
“We are delighted to renew our partnership with Abbott for a further three years,” said Hugh Brasher, Event Director, London Marathon Events.
“Our partnership has really come into its own in the past year and Abbott’s diagnostics expertise and support in COVID-19 testing was absolutely key to the successful delivery of the elite races at the 2020 Virgin Money London Marathon.
“The renewal of this partnership shows the strength of the London Marathon at such a challenging time in the mass participation sports industry. We are looking forward to working together for the next three years.”
Chris Miller, Divisional Vice President, Global Brand Strategy and Innovation, Abbott said: “It has never been more important to prioritise health.
“Abbott helps people live fuller lives through our life-changing technologies, and through our continued partnership with the Virgin Money London Marathon, we celebrate the dedication and achievement of the participants who inspire so many to be healthier.”
Brian Greenwood, Head of Sponsorship Sales at London Marathon Events, added: “We are delighted to be able to announce that Abbott Laboratories has extended its relationship with London Marathon Events by a further three years. We greatly appreciate the faith Abbott has shown in us and are looking forward to working together on some really interesting innovations.
“Following our announcement of TCS as the title partner of the London Marathon from 2022, this is further encouraging news for us as a world-leading mass participation sports event organiser in what remains a challenging time for the industry. We have been further encouraged by the increasing interest being shown by major brands in purpose-driven mass participation events that combine digital engagement capabilities.
“With our plans for the new-look RideLondon in 2022 rapidly taking shape, I think there will be a lot to talk about in the coming months.”
Abbott is also the title partner of the Abbott World Marathon Majors, a series of six of the world’s largest marathons – the Tokyo Marathon, the B.A.A. Boston Marathon, the Virgin Money London Marathon, the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON, the Bank of America Chicago Marathon, and the TCS New York City Marathon.
The 2021 Virgin Money London Marathon will also host the inaugural AbbottWMM Wanda Age Group World Championship, the first-ever global age group marathon ranking system.
Image: Shutterstock
