Lucozade motivates runners with Jamie Laing at the 2026 London Marathon

Lucozade has partnered with socially-led creative agency We Are Social to energise runners at London Marathon’s notorious Mile 23. Focusing on the psychological and physical turning point runners face at Mile 23, Lucozade set out to provide the mental encouragement and physical fuel needed to break through.

The motivation mission started pre-race at the Marathon Expo, with Marathon participants runners sharing their biggest challenges including tackling self doubt, attempting a PB, and getting over injuries, and defeating the infamous runner’s wall. Participants then shared the fuel that helps break the wall which ranged from a Lucozade-fuelled energy boost to loved ones cheering on and motivating playlists. Lucozade also created a “Hold and Scroll” carousel on Instagram, encouraging audiences to scroll and virtually break the wall.

Lucozade engaged its running community using the running app Strava. The Lucozade Sport Running Club page featured motivational posts in the weeks leading up to the race including spotlighting Lucozade employees running the race in Lucozade Sport bottle costumes, breaking down the science of the wall, and advice on refuelling.

On race day, Lucozade was front and centre at Mile 23 accompanied by Jamie Laing as Lucozade’s Veteran Wall Breaker. Using his lived marathon running experience, Jamie cheered on runners, providing heartfelt motivation.

Lucozade also partnered with marathon runners, Craig and Chlo (@craigandchlo), to share their London Marathon journey. Reflecting on Craig’s 2025 Marathon experience, the pair shared their training plan and explored the different challenges each runner could face, motivating other runners to beat the wall and cross the finish line. Craig and Chlo also shared their race day routine on the morning of the marathon, powered by Lucozade Sport. 

Throughout the day, Lucozade provided real-time coverage from the DJ decks to the hype mic, alongside reactive assets featuring race stats. Post-race, Lucozade captured “Finish Line Fables” in the St. James Park fan zone, documenting the stories of how runners used the energy at Mile 23 to reach the finish line.

Jack Scanlan at Lucozade, said, “The London Marathon is the ultimate moment in our calendar to show up for our consumers where it matters most. We Are Social’s unique ability to tap into human stories and foster genuine connections has been vital. This allowed us to be right there with the runners, celebrating their resilience and helping them find the energy to push through the hardest parts of the course.”

Joe Weston, Head of Sport at We Are Social, added, “The wall is a legendary part of marathon folklore, and our goal was to share the genuine struggle that feels authentic to the runner’s journey. We wanted to lean into the actual conversations runners are having on the ground and on their feeds. It’s about moving beyond the finish line photos to show the grit in between, making sure Lucozade shows up where the community needs that extra bit of hype the most.”

Source: We Are Social

  London, London Marathon, Lucozade, Marketing, partnership, UK, We Are Social