ANTRIM COAST HALF MARATHON TARGETS £1 MILLION FOR CHARITY AS GOFUNDME NAMED OFFICIAL FUNDRAISING PLATFORM
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - 8TH OCTOBER 2026
World-class Antrim Coast Half Marathon releases 2,000 dedicated charity places for 2027, targeting 100 charities and one of the biggest fundraising campaigns ever attached to a UK half marathon.
The Antrim Coast Half Marathon is launching an ambitious new charity programme for 2027, targeting £1 million for charity through 2,000 dedicated charity places. The rapidly growing World Athletics Elite Label event has named GoFundMe as its official fundraising platform, connecting runners with charities and supporters across the UK and beyond.
With the 2027 race set to accommodate 8,000 runners, organisers will allocate 2,000 places to charity fundraising, working with up to 100 charities and targeting an average of £500 raised per runner. Every charity place will be subsidised by the event itself, so fundraising income isn't absorbed by entry costs. Charity runners will select their cause at registration and immediately create a GoFundMe page to share with supporters.
Ruth McIlroy, Co-Founder and Event Director of the Antrim Coast Half Marathon, said: "We wanted to do something genuinely transformational for charity in 2027. Antrim Coast has grown from just 62 runners at our inaugural race in 2020 to 7,000 in 2026, and we now want that growth to deliver an equally significant impact for charities. Our target is simple: 2,000 charity runners, 100 charities and £1 million raised. We are prepared to subsidise every charity place because we want as much money as possible to reach the causes our runners are supporting. This is about making charity fundraising a fundamental part of Antrim Coast rather than an add-on."
Founded in 2020 by Olympian James McIlroy and Ruth McIlroy, the race has grown from 62 runners at its Covid-restricted debut — won by Sir Mo Farah in 1:00:27, then the fastest domestic half marathon time in UK history — to 7,000 in 2026, with entrants from more than 40 countries across five continents.
The partnership also integrates GoFundMe with njuko, the registration platform used by major UK running events including Royal Parks Half Marathon and London Landmarks Half Marathon. From registration, Antrim Coast runners will be able to select a charity, set up a fundraising page and start sharing it immediately, turning entry into a fundraising moment with no extra step for the runner or the race team.
Scott Overall, Key Account Manager at njuko, said: "Registration is the moment a runner commits. By bringing GoFundMe into that step, we're helping organisers like Antrim Coast Half Marathon turn every entry into a potential fundraiser, with no extra work for the runner or the race team."
The partnership puts GoFundMe's fundraising tools at the heart of one of the world's fastest-growing half marathons, just as it has powered fundraising behind Sir Chris Hoy's Tour de 4, which has raised more than £6 million for cancer charities since launching in 2025.
Jamie Parkins, Senior Director of UK Charities at GoFundMe, said: "Antrim Coast has established itself as one of the fastest half marathons on the planet, and this partnership shows the scale we're now operating at across UK events — from a world-class half marathon to Sir Chris Hoy's Tour de 4. We're proud to be the fundraising engine behind moments like these."
Charities interested in securing places for the 2027 Condor Executive Antrim Coast Half Marathon can contact the event team at antrimcoasthalf@gmail.com, or enter directly at www.antrimcoasthalfmarathon.com. The 2027 race takes place on Sunday 29 August 2027.
Media contacts
Antrim Coast Half Marathon — James at antrimcoasthalf@gmail.com | Marketing
GoFundMe — Asa Bennett, Communications Director, abennett@gofundme.com, 07412 545 525 njuko — bonjour@njuko.com
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