London Marathon 2015: Betfair wants to keep things interesting (and charitable) by getting you to bet on your finish time
Running the London Marathon on Sunday and worried the 26.2 mile race could have its moments of tedium? Perhaps placing a bet on yourself could keep things interesting for the three-to-four hour duration?
Betfair is allowing runners who love the thrill of a bet to “back themselves”. The bookie is offering a £20 bet on London Marathon runners' target time, to raise extra money for their chosen charity. It has pledged to donate up to £35,000 to charities as part of the scheme.
Runners will tell the bookie a few details about their running history, training efforts and target time. The site will then generate the odds of them hitting their targets and are invited to place the bet.
After the race is completed, successful runners need to take a screenshot of their official time to Betfair and the winnings will be donated to the fundraising page, along with the £20 stake.
If the runner doesn't make his or her time, the free stake will be donated to the official London Marathon charity Cancer Research UK.