Several well-known footballers will be taking on the 2025 TCS London Marathon, including former Arsenal and England midfielder Jack Wilshere, former Chelsea and England captain John Terry, and former Juventus and Italy defender Leonardo Bonucci.
Wilshere, 33, who made 197 appearances for Arsenal in his 10 years at the club and earned 34 caps for England before retiring in 2022, will be raising money for the British Heart Foundation (BHF).
Speaking about why he chose to run this year, Wilshere said: “My family’s life was turned upside down when my little girl, Siena, was diagnosed with a congenital heart defect, which meant she had a hole in her heart. She’s since had lifesaving open heart surgery to repair the hole and is thankfully recovering well.
“Each day around 13 babies in the UK are diagnosed with a congenital heart defect. I want to help raise funds and awareness for all the amazing research the BHF funds, and I hope to help other families who have been affected in the same way we were. I’m proud to be an ambassador for such an amazing charity.”
Wilshere will be joined on the Start Line on Sunday 27 April by former England team-mate Terry, 44, who won 15 major honours with Chelsea across a club-record 717 matches from 1998 to 2017 and made 78 appearances for England.
The former defender will run alongside his former Chelsea team-mate Jody Morris for Rays of Sunshine, a children’s charity that supports and grants special wishes for seriously ill children aged three to 18.
Bonucci, who won 17 major honours with Juventus and scored in the UEFA Euro 2020 final to help Italy beat England at Wembley Stadium in London, will be looking to collect another medal in the capital when he makes his TCS London Marathon debut to run for the charity Young Lives vs Cancer.
Former Liverpool Women’s footballer Natasha Dowie will be making her debut this April to raise money for the Owen McVeigh Foundation.
The foundation was set up by Mark and Joanna McVeigh in 2016, after the death of their 11-year-old son Owen from leukaemia. The charity, which is supported by Liverpool Football Club, aims to provide life memories and positive experiences to young children suffering from serious illnesses, such as cancer.
The former England international is keen to savour this experience, despite her aversion towards long-distance running.
Dowie said: “The idea of running a marathon had never appealed to me before this year, but I asked Mark if I could run on the charity’s behalf, because if I were ever to run a marathon, I wanted to run it for a good cause, and I can’t think of a better one than the London Marathon. I’m thankful to have the opportunity.
“I’m not naive enough to think I can run 26.2 miles without it hurting. However, I know that the challenge will be nowhere near as difficult as what these kids are going through right now.
“More than anything, I just want to enjoy the day and soak up as much as I can because it will feel like an amazing achievement to say I’ve run the London Marathon.”
Former Reading and Fulham midfielder Steve Sidwell will also make his TCS London Marathon debut this year. The 42-year-old is a co-host of the popular podcast The Peter Crouch Podcast with his former Stoke team-mate Crouch and will be running for the British Heart Foundation, as well as raising money for charities associated with motor neurone disease.
Former West Ham goalkeeper Darren Randolph will make his first appearance on the Start Line this year. The 37-year-old, who earned 50 caps for Ireland and played in all four of his nation’s matches at UEFA Euro 2016, is an ambassador for Diabetes UK as is his fiancée Alexandra Burke, and the couple will be running together to support the charity.
Meanwhile, Oxford United manager Gary Rowett will be taking part in his fifth London Marathon, as will ex Leeds, Manchester City and England defender Danny Mills.
Mills, 47, earned 19 caps for England during his career, and played in all five of his nation’s matches at the 2002 FIFA World Cup. He is also the father of middle-distance runner George Mills, who won a silver medal for Great Britain in the 5000m at the European Championships last year.
Full list of former footballers taking part in this year’s TCS London Marathon:
- Danny Mills, played for Leeds, Manchester City and England
- Darren Randolph, played for West Ham and Ireland (supporting Diabetes UK)
- Gary Rowett, Oxford United football manager
- Jack Wilshere, played for Arsenal and England (supporting British Heart Foundation)
- Jody Morris, played for Chelsea (supporting Rays of Sunshine)
- John Terry, played for Chelsea and England (supporting Rays of Sunshine)
- Leonardo Bonucci, played for Juventus and Italy (supporting Young Lives vs Cancer)
- Natasha Dowie, played for Liverpool Women and England (supporting Owen McVeigh Foundation)
- Steve Sidwell, played Chelsea, Reading and Fulham (supporting British Heart Foundation / MND)
