Tim Rogers is the founder of The Sapphire Running Company and the creator of The Sapphire Running Zone. He has spent more than 25 years working in charity fundraising and mass participation events, alongside a lifetime of running, fundraising and taking on endurance challenges around the world.

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Through The Sapphire Running Zone, Tim combines that professional experience with the lessons learned from completing 73 marathons and more than 200 half marathons, breaking two running world records, writing three books about running and personally raising more than £100,000 for charity.

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More Than 25 Years In Mass Participation Events

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Tim has worked in the charity fundraising and mass participation events sector for more than 25 years, including 20 years working with the London Marathon.

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He has worked closely with most of the world's biggest running events and hundreds of charities worldwide, from the UK to Australia.  giving him extensive experience of the relationship between runners, events and the charities that depend on mass participation fundraising.

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That experience extends across the runner journey, from encouraging people to take part and supporting their preparation through to charity fundraising, runner communications and helping organisations make the most of major participation events.

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It is this combination of professional experience and actually taking part in events himself that provides much of the foundation for The Sapphire Running Zone.

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73 Marathons And More Than 200 Half Marathons

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Tim has completed 73 marathons and more than 200 half marathons around the world, experiencing everything from major international races to smaller events and unusual endurance challenges.

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His marathon experience includes nine London Marathons, with every one completed in fancy dress and all undertaken to raise money for charity. His London Marathon costumes have included running as a rhino and two different Mr Men characters.

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One of those London Marathons also resulted in a world record. Tim completed the race dressed as a giant WellChild nurse, breaking the world record for completing a marathon in the tallest costume. The challenge combined the demands of running 26.2 miles with carrying and manoeuvring an enormous costume around the London course, while once again using the event to raise money for charity.

 

A tenth London Marathon is planned for 2027 as part of Tim's current £10,000 fundraising challenge.

Tim's running has taken him to events across the UK and around the world. The experience gained along the way shapes much of the practical advice on The Sapphire Running Zone, particularly around marathon and half marathon preparation, race day, running equipment and the realities of taking on endurance events.

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A Marathon World Record Across Seven Continents

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Another of Tim's biggest running challenges involved completing an official marathon on all seven continents.

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Tim broke the world record for completing the challenge in the shortest time, finishing marathons across all seven continents in just 99 days.

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The challenge involved considerably more than running seven races. It required managing training, recovery, international travel and the physical demands of repeatedly completing the marathon distance in very different environments.

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Tim has also completed all of the World Marathon Majors within a single calendar year, adding another unusual endurance challenge to his running experience.

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Raising More Than £100,000 For Charity

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Fundraising has been at the heart of Tim's running for many years. Through his own races and endurance challenges, he has personally raised more than £100,000 for charitable causes.

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That experience means the fundraising advice on The Sapphire Running Zone is not based simply on fundraising theory. Tim has experienced many of the same challenges faced by charity runners, from asking friends and family for sponsorship and finding new fundraising ideas to maintaining momentum during a long marathon campaign.

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Combined with more than 25 years working professionally within charity fundraising and mass participation events, this gives Tim experience from both sides of the relationship: understanding what charities are trying to achieve while also knowing what it is like to be the runner trying to reach a fundraising target.

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Tim's Current £10,000 Fundraising Challenge

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Tim continues to combine running and endurance challenges with fundraising. During 2026 and 2027, he is taking on one of his biggest challenges yet, with the aim of raising another £10,000 for charity.

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The year long challenge combines running, rowing and marathon running. It began in June 2026 with 30 consecutive days on a Concept2 rowing machine, with the distance increasing to match the date of the month. That meant rowing 1km on 1 June, 10km on 10 June and eventually 30km on 30 June, covering a total of 465km during the month.

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The running stages follow a similar format, with daily distances progressively increasing throughout the month. Tim will also complete three marathons between November and April, culminating in his tenth London Marathon in 2027, before returning to the rowing machine for another progressive distance challenge in May 2027.

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The challenge is raising money for Phab and the David Lewis Centre, two charities with causes that have a strong personal connection for Tim and his family. It continues a fundraising journey that has already seen him raise more than £100,000 for charitable causes through running and other challenges.

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Follow Tim's £10,000 Fundraising Challenge

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Author Of Three Running Books

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Tim is the author of three books about running: Be Your Best At Marathon Running, Teach Yourself How To Run A Marathon and Great Marathon Running.

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His books cover marathon preparation and the practical challenges involved in training for and completing long distance running events. They form part of a much wider body of work that now includes hundreds of articles and podcasts through The Sapphire Running Zone.

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Why Tim Created The Sapphire Running Zone

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Tim created The Sapphire Running Zone to provide runners with independent, accessible information that can help them enjoy their running, prepare properly for events and make informed decisions about their training and equipment.

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The site covers running training, shoes, kit, technology and wearables, nutrition, injuries, running events and charity fundraising. Much of the content draws upon Tim's own running experience, while specialist and technical subjects are carefully researched rather than relying solely on personal opinion.

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Charity running remains particularly important to the purpose of the site. The aim is not simply to help people reach the finish line, but also to help runners who are taking part for a cause make more of the opportunity and raise as much as possible from their challenge.

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Tim's Approach To Running Advice

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There is rarely one answer that works for every runner. Different runners have different goals, abilities, biomechanics, budgets and reasons for taking part, and the advice published on The Sapphire Running Zone reflects that.

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Tim's approach is to explain the options, provide the relevant information and help runners make informed decisions rather than telling everyone they need the same shoe, watch, training method or approach.

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The same principle applies to charity fundraising. Successful fundraising is rarely about finding one magic idea. It comes from understanding your audience, planning ahead, communicating why the cause matters and using a combination of approaches that suit the individual runner and their challenge.

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The Sapphire Running Zone

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The Sapphire Running Zone is a resource for runners of all abilities, from people considering their first 5K through to experienced marathon runners looking for their next challenge.

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Tim continues to run, fundraise, interview runners and charity professionals, research developments in running and produce articles and podcasts for the site.

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His goal for The Sapphire Running Zone is to help people run better, understand the sport more clearly and use their running to make a difference when they choose to support a charitable cause.