New Spirit of the London Marathon Award winners announced

Brand-new recipients of the Spirit of the London Marathon Awards were announced today (Wednesday 29 March), reflecting the inclusivity of the TCS London Marathon.

Anoosheh Ashoori, Jeremy Joseph and Team Kerr are the latest winners of the award, which was created in 2018 to celebrate individuals or groups who have embodied the Spirit of the London Marathon over the 42 editions of the event to date.

Anoosheh, Jeremy and Team Kerr – David, Sandra and Aaron Kerr – showed that the Spirit of the London Marathon can shine through even in the most challenging of times. Here are their stories.

Anoosheh Ashoori, 69, from London

Anoosheh, an Iranian-British dual national who was arrested in Iran in August 2017 wrongfully accused of spying and sentenced to 12 years in jail in 2019, ran the TCS London Marathon for the first time in October 2022.

Anoosheh was released from prison in March 2022 and spoke afterwards about how the dream of one day running the London Marathon had kept him motivated throughout the four-and-a-half years he spent in prison. He used the few hours of exercise he was allowed each week to train and keep himself fit, both physically and mentally.

He said: “I found running to be extremely helpful in my fight again insanity [while in prison]. I promised myself I would participate in the London Marathon any time I was released.”

That dream became a reality when he completed the 2022 TCS London Marathon. He said: “I took part in the TCS London Marathon in support of those I had left behind in Evin prison, in solidarity with the women’s movement in Iran, and to raise funds and promote social awareness for Hostage International and Amnesty International – the two charities that provided my family and I with support during the most traumatic period of my life.”

Anoosheh will be taking on the 2023 TCS London Marathon alongside his daughter Elika and son Aryan. Their hope is to continue to raise awareness and support for their chosen charities and to fight injustice.

Jeremy Joseph, from London

Jeremy completed his twelfth London Marathon in October 2022 and has raised an incredible £792,500 for various charities over the course of his London Marathon running career.

He is the owner of G-A-Y and Heaven nightclubs in London and last year worked with the team at London Marathon Events (LME) to plan Rainbow Row – a new initiative for the 2022 event.

Rainbow Row transforms a stretch of the world-famous London Marathon route, just past the 21-mile mark, into a carnival atmosphere celebrating the vibrancy of the LGBTQIA+ community. Jeremy helped ensure the 2022 event was the most inclusive London Marathon yet.

On winning his Spirit of the London Marathon Award, Jeremy said: “I can’t tell you how honoured I am to receive this award. I am so grateful for how the TCS London Marathon has changed my life. To be involved in it and work with such an incredible team is an honour.

“I started running because I live with an eating disorder and it was my way of finding an alternative to the bad things I was doing to my body – but it wasn’t until I ran my first London Marathon that I realised the event was more than a race, but also 26.2 miles of the most incredible support and respect. The sheer amount of money we could raise for charities was gobsmacking – no other event gains this support from people sponsoring.

“Rainbow Row has taken my love for the London Marathon to a new level. To be able to be involved in setting up a section that aims to support the LGBTQIA+ community is one thing, but to think that more than 45,000 people will run through a section that will hopefully give every participant a lift and bring us all closer together in a very tough time is amazing. I’m honoured to be a part of it again this year – my thirteenth time. Thank you.”

Jeremy Joseph

Team Kerr, from Annahilt in Northern Ireland

Team Kerr is David, Sandra and Aaron – a father, mother and son from Northern Ireland who took part in the 2022 TCS London Marathon, with Aaron one of the first assisted wheelchair participants to complete the event.

The Kerrs worked with LME to help review changes to the rules so that wheelchair users who require help from others could take part. Aaron, 25, was able to take part for the first time in 2022 thanks to these rule changes and was supported by his parents.

David said: “When we started taking on marathons as a family in 2015, we never imagined that the 2022 TCS London Marathon would be our fiftieth marathon together.

“We have shared our message of inclusion for people with complex needs in running events all over the UK and Ireland and were delighted to be invited by LME to take part in the inclusion consultation process. This meant assisted wheelchair participants could officially take part in the marathon for the first time in 2022, enabling Aaron and other assisted wheelchair participants to enjoy the event alongside everyone else.

“The day itself was incredible – we loved every minute and the support from both the crowd and our fellow runners was phenomenal. To hear Aaron’s name being called out for the whole 26.2 miles was very emotional and even overwhelming at times.

“To find out we had been chosen as one of the recipients of the Spirit of the London Marathon Awards was a lovely surprise and very humbling. It will take pride of place in our home and only add to the wonderful memories from that very special day.”

Team Kerr

The 2022 winners will be presented with their awards at the 2023 TCS London Marathon Running Show in April.

Previous Spirit of the London Marathon Award winners:

• Aaron Plummer
• Barbara Ralph
• Charlie Dark
• Charlie Guenigault
• Chris Moon
• Claire Lomas
• Claude Umuhire
• Dave Heeley
• David Weir
• Deo Kato
• Dick Beardsley and Inge Simonsen
• Elliott Brock
• Fauja Singh
• Gina Little
• Haroon Mota
• Helen Williams
• James Ingham
• Jane Smith
• Jill Tyrell
• Jo Gennari
• Joyce Smith
• Kathrine Switzer
• Laura Hughes
• Matthew Rees and David Wyeth
• Michael Watson
• North Kensington and Paddington Red Watch firefighters
• Scott Mitchell
• Steve Chalke MBE
• Paula Radcliffe
• Rhian Burke
• Roy Webber
• Simon Kindleysides
• Stephen Lawrence’s Team
• Tanni-Grey Thompson
• Vicky Lawrence
• Zamzam Farah