Industry
Communications, Media and Information Services
Connect. Curate. Comprehend: Unlocking Value Beyond Boundaries
Highlights
- London Marathon Events (LME) is renowned for organizing some of the UK's most iconic sporting events, most notably the TCS London Marathon, which set three Guiness World Records in 2025.
- As title sponsor and consulting partner TCS facilitated the modernization of operations, streamlined processes, enhanced data management, and provided actionable business insights, helping to elevate the event to new heights.
- The TCS partnership enabled LME to achieve record-breaking results while enhancing experiences for runners, staff, and supporters.
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Overview
London Marathon Events (LME) is renowned for organizing some of the UK's most iconic sporting events, most notably the TCS London Marathon.
This prestigious event is not only a hallmark of world-class event delivery but also embodies a strong social mission aimed at inspiring physical activity and transforming lives within schools and communities.
The 2025 TCS London Marathon marked a historic moment in the realm of mass participation sporting events, achieving three Guinness World Records:
- Highest number of finishers: 56,640 runners successfully completed the race.
- Highest number of ballot entries: A staggering 1,133,813 individuals applied to participate in the 2026 event.
- Most money raised for charities by a single-day sporting event: With an impressive £87.3 million generated for various charities.
TCS, as both the title sponsor and consulting partner, played a crucial role in these achievements. By collaborating with LME to develop a robust customer data platform, TCS facilitated the modernization of operations, streamlined processes, enhanced data management, and provided actionable business insights, helping to elevate the event to new heights.
Challenge
Facing record growth in participation, LME struggled with operational inefficiencies and data management challenges, prompting a partnership with TCS for automation and agility to enhance event execution.
As participation in the TCS London Marathon and LME's other events surged, LME faced operational pressures in managing millions of registrations and records through fragmented systems, resulting in inefficiencies and duplication. Manual processes like bib assignments and wave allocations became time-consuming, error-prone, and difficult to scale, while participants expected real-time updates and seamless experiences amidst privacy compliance challenges. To address these issues, LME partnered with TCS, its title sponsor and a trusted partner known for its expertise in large-scale digital transformation. TCS’ focus on creating perpetually adaptive enterprises and robust automated solutions made it the ideal ally for enhancing LME’s operations.
Solution
TCS collaborated closely with London Marathon Events to revolutionize the management of data and data-dependent operations, fostering enhanced agility, automation, and reliability at scale.
To enhance operational efficiency, TCS established a centralized cloud data warehouse, consolidating participant, registration, and transaction data into a secure environment. This initiative eliminated data duplication and provided LME teams with a unified view of critical information.
To improve the participant experience, TCS streamlined the QR-code boarding pass creation, facilitating efficient check-in and enabling staff to manage last-minute changes seamlessly. Automation of the London Classics Medal application process minimized errors and expedited rewards claims.
An advanced customer engagement platform enhanced email communication with timely updates and personalized messaging. During high-demand periods, proactive monitoring and live support ensured rapid issue resolution.
TCS introduced transformative tools, including a duplicate contact detection tool and an automated wave change tool, which optimized participant management and significantly enhanced customer experience. These initiatives not only simplified complex processes but also established a scalable foundation for LME to confidently manage record-breaking events with speed and precision.
This year, with the support of the TCS team, we broke three Guinness World Records, including the achievement of having the largest number of finishers in a marathon worldwide. I want to express my gratitude to the TCS team for their contributions to these achievements; we couldn't have accomplished this without your help.
Outcome
The TCS partnership enabled London Marathon Events (LME) to achieve record-breaking results while enhancing experiences for runners, staff, and supporters.
A centralized data platform improved confidence in information accuracy and integrity, reducing duplication and ensuring informed decision-making.
Automation of race day logistics and the elimination of manual bottlenecks allowed staff to focus on higher-value tasks, resulting in faster, error-free execution. Participants enjoyed shorter expo wait times, quicker medal claim approvals, and more timely, personalized communications. Innovations like the automated wave change tool and enhanced engagement platform significantly boosted runner satisfaction, while cost efficiencies included a 150% reduction in cloud service expenses and lower operational costs.
Proactive data monitoring and live support during peak periods strengthened operational resilience, ensuring smooth event execution under high demand. Robust privacy and compliance measures safeguarded personal data, fostering trust and enhancing LME's reputation, ultimately supporting their mission of delivering world-class events that inspire global activity and raise significant funds for charity.