Marathon March breaks million-pound mark in spectacular 10th year!

Foundation

3 hours ago

In another record-breaking year, 320 incredible Marchers took on Palace for Life's 26-mile Marathon March on Saturday (3rd October), raising over £136,000 (and counting!) – the highest total yet – and helping to shatter a milestone mark for the event!

In a huge landmark, the 2026 Marathon March took the total funds raised for young South Londoners across all 10 Marathon Marches to an incredible £1 million!

On and off the pitch, Palace are making history, and Palace for Life are proud to mirror that passion through our work in the community.

And with around 20% of donations coming in after the event, there’s still time to show your support!

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This year was a particularly special Marathon March, as the Foundation celebrated the 10th edition of the event.

Since the very first March in 2017, thousands of Palace fans have taken on the 26-mile challenge, coming together to raise an incredible £1 million for Palace for Life and help make a lasting difference in the South London community.

A huge shout-out also went out to the incredible Marchers who have completed all ten Marathon Marches: Mark Bright, Paul Clark, Liam Connery, Kevin Day, Christine Gausden, Martin Hollands, Say Leddington, Andy Street and Mike Summers.

Their commitment over the past decade is truly remarkable, and we’re incredibly grateful for the part they have played in making the Marathon March what it is today.

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The Foundation are also extremely grateful to their sponsors for this year, Brooks Running, who once again helped empower the Marchers to go the distance while championing the Foundation's mission to make a difference in the community through the power of sport. A huge thank you to Brooks Running for supporting another unforgettable Marathon March.

At the finish line, marchers were welcomed back to Selhurst Park, where they proudly celebrated completing the 26-mile challenge alongside members of the DS Eagles team. The celebrations continued with a special photo opportunity featuring the FA Cup, Community Shield and the newest addition to the collection, the UEFA Conference League trophy.

Marchers then soaked up the atmosphere as they completed a lap of honour around Selhurst Park, marking the perfect end to an incredible achievement.

Support the Marchers

Why you should donate

While this year’s March is over, there’s still time to help Palace for Life further smash the fundraising record!

Every donation is hugely appreciated and will support three key areas of their work.

Each year, our coaches and mentors support more than 20,000 young people through education, employability, mentoring and physical activity programmes. Palace for Life focus on areas of deprivation, delivering free sport and community sessions alongside pastoral support that builds confidence, resilience and essential life skills.

They provide specialist one-to-one mentoring for those facing mental health challenges, and for young people in or at risk of entering the justice system, and their employability programmes create clear pathways into education, training and work.

Through Palace for Life's programmes in and outside of football, they aim to strengthen ties between the club and its community, help grow its supporter base and offer talented footballers a path to the Crystal Palace boys’ or girls’ academies.