Prostate Cancer’s annual Run the Month fundraising event achieved the highest growth of any mass participation charity fundraiser over the last year, research has found.

We Are Massive’s annual look at the Top 25 events found that Run the Month “achieved extraordinary growth of 143%” in 2024 to make its return into the list, at 16th spot.

This makes it the year’s “stand out performer”, according to We Are Massive.

The event invites participants to run the 26.2-mile equivalent of a marathon throughout January.

It’s event in 2024 raised £1.8m and is among a handful to record strong growth in the year to climb or enter the Top 25. Collectively they added £16m to the list.

Other strong performers include Kiltwalk, which grew by 36% to hit £7 million and climb back up to 5th place, while Alzheimer’s Society’s Trek 26 grew by 27%. Meanwhile top ranked event, Race for Life, delivered 18.4% growth to raise £37m.

The research found that the top 25 events raised £132m in 2024, which is similar to the previous year, meanwhile average participation levels have grown by more than 15%. This suggests people are donating less to participants.

“For the third consecutive year, the rankings of the top four events remained unchanged, with Race for Life, Macmillan Coffee Morning, Movember, and Mighty Hikes maintaining their positions. Together, these four powerhouses generated £77 million, representing 58% of the total income from the Top 25,” said We Are Massive.

Drop in virtual events

It added that “one of the most striking trends” in its list is a loss of virtual events post Covid.

Only three of these events made it into the 25, the lowest number of virtual events since 2019.

In person events have reclaimed their dominance, taking the top nine fundraising places and accounting for 88%of all reported income.

“Whether this represents a fundamental shift in preferences for real life experiences over digital engagement remains to be seen.” added We Are Massive.

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