It is London Marathon weekend and online betting site Betfair have handed out a huge sponsorship deal with the event, to help the runners. Around 38,000 runners will be taking to the streets of London on the weekend to try and pound their way successfully over 26.2 gruelling miles.
However, in an effort to ease a bit of the pain, online betting betting site Betfair have come up with a way to help out the runners. Anyone taking part in the London Marathon 2015 can put their personal best times in Betfair’s computer and then select a time that they expect to finish the London Marathon in. The Betfair computer will then churn out odds on them making that target.
So the punter/runner will be able to take a free £20 bet on themselves to come home and hit their desired target. If the target is met, then Betfair will donate cash to their chosen charity. If the runner doesn’t hit their target, then their £20 will go to Cancer Research UK. The move is expected to cost the company around £35,000.
Betfair spokesperson Naomi Totten said: “The London Marathon is a truly admirable test of human endurance.
“With just a few days to go, runners will be unable to thrash out any more long runs and will be focusing on carb loading and maximising their fundraising so that they know it’s all been worth it.
“We’ve decided to reward the gruelling training that runners, up and down the country, have put themselves through over the past six months and give them a chance to really boost their charity efforts by backing themselves with a free £20 bet.”
