The Flora London Marathon is not just about who crosses the finish line first, but also about the millions of pounds raised for charity every year.

In fact, for most of the 32,000 runners taking part, collecting money for good causes is the main motivator for dragging themselves around the gruelling 26.2-mile course.

In its short 22-year history, the race has become Britain's largest annual fundraising event and will raise over �24m on 14 April.

But this year's marathon promises to be a little different.

Runners can create a free personal fundraising page, which can accept online sponsorship for the Flora London Marathon 24 hours a day.

The idea behind the scheme is to help runners cut down on the sponsor form paper chase, concentrate on training and ensure that their charity receives the money faster.

Thanks to the government's Gift Aid scheme, donations may also be topped up by 28% if the sponsor is a UK taxpayer.

This year also marks the first time that two charities have been named as the official beneficiaries of the event - Children with Leukaemia and the Outward Bound Trust.

The Marathon normally chooses just one charity each year - up to �1m has been raised for each good cause in past years - but organisers have selected two for next year because of the standard of applications.

The Outward Bound Trust is a national charity that helps young people benefit from self-discovery and development through outdoor challenge.

Children with Leukaemia is the only national charity dedicated exclusively to the research and treatment of the country's biggest child-killer disease.

Clearly there will be more than one winner crossing the finish line on 14 April.