This April, Sir Ben Ainslie is taking on a new sporting challenge. The world’s most decorated Olympic sailor will tackle the 2026 TCS London Marathon.
Like thousands of everyday runners who will line up alongside him, Ben is not a marathon runner – stepping outside his comfort zone, he will push himself physically and mentally to complete the 26.2 mile course, as he runs to raise awareness and funds for the 1851 Trust, a charity he founded over a decade ago.
“I’m not a runner,” said Sir Ben. “But that’s the whole point. Every young person the 1851 Trust works with is standing at the start of something that might feel too big, too hard, or too far out of reach. I want them to see that sometimes you need to challenge yourself – you just have to start.”
Since 2014, the 1851 Trust has been on a mission to change the way young people learn in the classroom and beyond, taking the universal language of sport and using it to make STEM subjects click.
“I didn’t find STEM subjects easy at school,” said Sir Ben. “What I didn’t realise was that every time I stepped onto a boat, I was using maths and science in everything I did. Once I saw science in action and how it worked beyond the textbook, I understood it. That’s why we set up the 1851 Trust.”
The same principle applies to the marathon. At its core, marathon running is an exciting blend of physics, biology, and mathematics. Every training session becomes an experiment, every mile a piece of valuable data. In this way, running a marathon is not just sport — it’s applied science in action.
For schools to explore this idea further, the 1851 Trust has a series of three exciting STEM resources for students inspired by the extraordinary attempt of Eliud Kipchoge to break the two-hour marathon barrier. These resources dive into key elements that shaped the project, including pacemakers, nutrition, and course selection. Through practical activities in physics, biology, and maths, they will analyse performance, test ideas, and uncover the science behind one of the greatest sporting challenges ever attempted. Teachers can explore these free resource at www.stemcrew.org/159challenge/
The 1851 Trust has seen that when young people are shown how science works beyond the textbook – how it lives in the real world, in real sport, in real athletes and engineers doing extraordinary things – they see the world differently.
Sir Ben Ainslie is taking on the London Marathon to ensure young people understand one powerful truth: there are no limits on their potential.
Support Ben’s Marathon Challenge – funds raised will directly support the 1851 Trust’s mission across the UK. Click here to donate.
