FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Support for women on Marathon Day
We can't wait to cheer on the greatest-ever women's field in this year's
elite races on Sunday 23 April - but we also want to celebrate and support
women in the mass event so the day can go as smoothly as possible as they
smash their personal goals.
Last year, we announced that pregnant or postpartum participants can defer
their place to the same category in any future London Marathon within a
three-year window - should they want to.
Now, we're also putting together various forms of support for women in the
run-up to the 2023 TCS London Marathon and on Marathon Day itself.
Sanitary products
If your period arrives a little (or a lot!) earlier or later than expected
on Marathon Day, there's no need to panic - free sanitary products,
including tampons and towels from Tampax and Always, will be supplied at
all medical stations, Information Points and changing rooms, along with
other useful bits and bobs you may need, such as hair ties and grips,
breast pads, tissues and wet wipes.
Introducing the Peequal!
You may have come across these innovative female urinals if you've been to
music festivals such as Glastonbury or Green Man in recent years. Ideal for
when you just need a quick wee, we hope the Peequal will cut queues in the
Red and Blue Assembly Areas thanks to its simple ‘squat and go' design.
Peequal's co-founders Amber Probyn and Hazel McShane claim it's six times
quicker to use than a conventional loo - although there will still be
plenty of these available for those who prefer them.
Breastfeeding areas
We're delighted to announce that this year we'll be offering a private area
for breastfeeding and/or expressing milk just before the halfway point and
at the Finish for any participants who need it. The areas are supported by
parenting charity Best Beginnings, whose representatives will be also on
hand to offer support and advice.
Clare Lyons-Collins, CEO of Best Beginnings, said: "Supporting parents is
our number one priority and we're thrilled to be able to support
breastfeeding participants during the TCS London Marathon this year.
Breastfeeding can be challenging for many people, and that's before you
throw a 26.2-mile event into the mix!
"By providing feeding and expressing tents, plus essentials like nipple
cream and breast pads, we hope to support more women to get across the
Finish Line. We want to build on this initiative in future to encourage
even more women to take part while breastfeeding!"
The TCS London Marathon Running Show
We're planning on tackling topics such as running while on your period and
training at different stages of your cycle, as well as talking about
exercise before, during and after menopause, at the TCS London Marathon
Running Show. There will be more details of the programme and the guest
speakers who'll be sharing their knowledge and experiences on our TCS
London Marathon Running Show page soon.
More information about all the features and facilities mentioned above will
be available in the run-up to the event, so watch this space! And if you
have any questions in the meantime, please get in touch.
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