Lloyd Martin, Anthony Bryan, Milly Pickles and Nathaniel Dye are this year’s award winners after each showed the true Spirit of the London Marathon when they completed last year’s edition.
Martin and Bryan both earned Guinness World Records at last year's TCS London Marathon when Martin became the youngest person with Down’s syndrome to complete a marathon, and Bryan achieved the fastest time in a marathon by a male with hemiplegia (paralysis on one side of the body).
Presenter and para-athlete Pickles completed her first-ever marathon at the 2024 TCS London Marathon with her prosthetic leg, six years after the lower half of her right leg was amputated due to an accident at work. Dye, a music teacher, was diagnosed with terminal cancer in 2023 and memorably completed last year’s TCS London Marathon with a colostomy bag while playing a green trombone.
The Spirit of the London Marathon Awards were created in 2018 to celebrate individuals who reflect the unique spirit of the event and to highlight their extraordinary stories. Previous winners include the first ever winners of the London Marathon, Dick Beardsley and Inge Simonsen, who famously crossed the Finish Line hand in hand, boxer Michael Watson who took six days to complete the 2003 London Marathon, 12 years after sustaining a near fatal brain injury in a bout with Chris Eubank.
Here are the stories of the 2024 Spirit of the London Marathon winners.
Lloyd Martin (age 20, from Cardiff)
Lloyd’s running journey began at age 13 in his native Cardiff, where he took part in the weekly local parkrun alongside his family. After he was born with a hole in his heart, and diagnosed with Down’s syndrome, some doctors warned Lloyd’s parents that he may never be able to walk.
However, Lloyd has since become an accomplished gymnast with Special Olympics GB, winning a gymnastics vault gold medal at the British Disability Championships in 2023.
Once Lloyd decided to enter the 2024 TCS London Marathon via Special Olympics GB, his mother, Ceri Hooper, a former Welsh cross-country runner and veteran of four London Marathons, created a bespoke five-month training programme to prepare Lloyd for his first full marathon.
He eventually made history at the 2024 TCS London Marathon by becoming the youngest person ever with Down’s syndrome to run a full marathon in the intellectual impairment category (II2). Lloyd finished with a time of 6:46:10, with Ceri accompanying him along the 26.2-mile course.
Ceri was overjoyed at hearing Lloyd had become the latest winner of the Spirit of the London Marathon Award and reflected on how remarkable his journey has been up to this point.
She said: “Looking at the list of previous winners, it’s a huge honour to see Lloyd’s name amongst such amazingly inspirational people. This started as a personal goal for Lloyd - to see if he could run a marathon, and for me to see if I could help him to achieve his dream. We could never have imagined that his marathon journey would have inspired so many.
“Lloyd is the first to encourage everyone to follow their dreams and with a little help and support he believes anything can be achieved.
“The London Marathon has always been a huge event for our family, I couldn’t be prouder that Lloyd has completed it, and with a Guinness World Record too.”
Lloyd will be taking part in the TCS London Marathon once again this month, as will his cousin Ciaran Lewis, who will be a part of the Championship race.
Anthony Bryan (age 35, from London)
Anthony’s life changed forever at age six, when he suffered a stroke while undergoing surgery for a life-threatening brain tumour. He was left paralysed on the left side of his body, and doctors told Anthony’s family that he might never walk again.
Intensive physiotherapy sessions allowed Anthony to learn to walk again, and once he turned 18, he decided to start training as a track athlete. He won two gold medals in the 800m and 1,500m events at the 2015 Cerebral Palsy International Sport and Recreation Association (CPISRA) World Games.
Anthony soon started participating in 5k and 10k events before deciding to enter the TCS London Marathon last year, in the hope of breaking a Guinness World Record. Anthony, alongside his support runner Tyler Slade, completed the Course in a time of 5:49:04, setting a new world record at the time for the fastest marathon by a male with hemiplegia.
Anthony hopes that receiving this award will inspire others who have suffered strokes to never give up hope, after he managed to defy the initial prognosis given by his doctors.
He said: “It is an absolute honour to be named as a winner of the Spirit of the London Marathon Award. Ever since doctors told my parents that I would never run or be very active again, I made it my mission to prove those doctors wrong.
“My main aim last year was simply just to complete the London Marathon, while helping raise money for the Stroke Association and inspire other stroke survivors to never give up. So, to not only complete the London Marathon, but break a Guinness World Record in the process, and now to be named the Spirit of the London Marathon Award winner is just incredible. I hope my story and journey can inspire many others to do the same and never give up.”
Milly Pickles (age 28, from London)
At 20 years old, Milly was a university student when she suffered a life-threatening electrocution due to an accident. 36 per cent of her body was burnt, and she spent two and a half months in hospital, where half of her right leg was amputated before she returned home.
Milly eventually taught herself how to walk again with her prosthetic leg and rediscovered her love for sport three years after her accident. She began sharing her story through social media and has gained a huge following, and last summer, she was selected as a presenter for part of the UK coverage of the Paralympic Games.
She set her sights on last year’s TCS London Marathon and despite struggling with severe bleeding on her left foot, Milly made it to the Finish Line to complete her first-ever marathon, just over six years after her accident.
She said: “Winning the Spirit of the London Marathon Award means the world to me. That event wasn’t just about the physical challenge – it was about proving to myself and others that limits are often just perceptions. As a below-knee amputee, crossing that Finish Line was a symbol of everything I’ve overcome since my accident. To now receive recognition for that journey feels incredibly special.
“More than anything, I hope this award shows others living with a disability that there is life after trauma – not just life, but a powerful, joyful, meaningful one. I want people to know that you are not defined by what happened to you or by what you’ve lost. You are defined by your mindset, heart, and how you choose to show up every day. If this award sparks even one person to believe in themselves a bit more, then it’s done exactly what I’d hoped.”
Nathaniel Dye MBE (age 38, from London)
Nathaniel was diagnosed with stage four bowel cancer in September 2022. The devastating news was compounded by the fact Nathaniel’s mother had also passed away from bowel cancer three years prior.
Since his diagnosis, Nathaniel has participated in many intense physical challenges to raise money for Macmillan Cancer Support, including the Ultra-Trail du Mont Blanc, a 171km trail running race, regarded as one of the world’s most difficult.
Nathaniel has raised over £37,000 for charity over the past several years, and last year, he completed the TCS London Marathon in five hours and 49 minutes, all while playing a green trombone. He was awarded an MBE for his campaigning work in cancer awareness at the end of last year.
Nathaniel hopes that this award can encourage many others to continue pushing on through difficult challenges that they encounter in life.
He said: “I am absolutely delighted to receive a Spirit of the London Marathon Award. To receive the same award as heroic runners like Adele Roberts (not to mention her stoma Audrey – mine’s called Homer!) is a real honour.
“I did last year’s London Marathon following a three-month block of chemotherapy. I left The Mall proud that day, not only with a Finisher’s medal, but also filled with gratitude that my broken body let me cross that Finish Line.
“What really pushed me through was the encouragement from supporters and other runners all along the Route. I’ve lost count of the number of people who have expressed disbelief that I still had the ability to blast out a tune over 26.2-miles. How did I do it? I just kept going. It is as simple as that. And this is what I hope people will take away from seeing me receive this most special award. I’m living proof that it’s possible to live a full life, even with a terminal diagnosis, and if I can keep going right until I run out of road, so can you.”