The young posh set are abandoning Royal Ascot for the London Marathon

Telegraph

26-04-2025

My ticket is secured and my outfit is laid out on my bed. Transport there and back has been booked, food and booze will no doubt be in generous supply and gossip is guaranteed. I'm all set for the biggest event of the year in the Gen Z calender. Royal Ascot, you whisper? No, darling, the London Marathon, of course. The new summit of the British social Season, according to the TikTok generation at least.
Back in the heyday of the Season, the end of April marked the start of preparations for the Chelsea Flower Show, Glyndebourne, Royal Ascot, Henley and beyond. A summer of monogrammed invites, car park picnics and champagne-fuelled mingling. But times, it seems, have changed.
Growing up, I was part of a posh set. I was privately educated in Cambridge, then went on to the University of Edinburgh, where practically every man and his dog lived in a castle or a stately home. One friend had to decide which of his two family castles to spend lockdown in. God forbid.
For my 16th birthday, my uncle gave me Sophie Campbell's The Season – A Summer Whirl Through the English Social Season, with 'work hard, play harder' scrawled inside. A guide on how to do summer 'properly'. That year, I attended my first Royal Ascot, a treat for surviving my GCSEs.
I remember feeling ridiculously glamorous in my fascinator with a pastel pink Sobranie cigarette poised between my two fingers at all times. Hugs became air kisses and the sound of clinking crystal flutes echoed through the air. My three girlfriends and I were delighted to be chatting up the Eton and Harrow boys as we'd had quite enough of our own male friends. I remember thinking on the car journey home what a fabulous life of glamour I had ahead of me.
Running is the new clubbing
Yet here I am, nearly a decade later, about to run the decidedly less glamorous London Marathon, the new social summit for Gen Z.
For years now, people have been muttering that the traditional Season is on its way out, outshone by music festivals, which have become the must-be-seen-at fixtures of the summer. These days, we're told the posh would far rather dance to Fred Again in a field, high on magic mushrooms and dressed in next to nothing, than sip Bollinger at the polo.
But not Gen Z – for us, running is the new clubbing. We're a generation not fussed about staying out late and getting hammered. It's now cool to be fit, health-conscious and to care about the planet. You won't catch us attending the Queen Charlotte's Ball or the forced dinner parties with debutantes, chinless wonders and soggy vol-au-vents any more.
This year, the TCS London Marathon saw a staggering 105 per cent increase in entries from 20–29-year-olds, with a record 840,318 people entering the ballot. When I surveyed my 1,500 Instagram followers (a modest number by Gen Z influencer standards, I know), asking which event they were most likely to attend this summer, the overwhelming majority voted for the London Marathon.
I can already hear you groaning, 'This cannot be! Bl--dy Gen Z ruining British traditions.' But take a closer look reader, and you'll see there are striking similarities between the traditional Season and the London Marathon. After all, it's a grand occasion where people dress up, socialise and the finish line is right outside Buckingham Palace.
On paper, the marathon may appear more accessible than Royal Ascot. You don't need to know two members to get a membership or have a friend who's a member to buy you a guest badge. In theory, it's democratic: you enter through the ballot or via charity sponsorship. But in reality, the 'who you know' element is very much alive and well. I have friends who claim they've managed to get places through pulling strings or leveraging their connections with charities.
While there's no formal dress code either, that hasn't stopped TikTok from enforcing one. Race day uniform is strict: Lululemon shorts, Hoka trainers and a Salomon running vest. Everyone keeps asking me what I'll be wearing, as if I'm off to Henley rather than about to run a 26.2-mile slog.
And the costs? Astronomical. It's hardly a poor man's sport after you've purchased the outfits, essential equipment, physio and orthotics, largely funded by the Bank of Mum and Dad, no doubt.
In the weeks leading up to it, everyone talks about the London Marathon with the same excitement usually reserved for Glyndebourne or Wimbledon. On race day, friends line the route, waving support signs with unmistakable British humour. 'This is excessive, just go on Ozempic', 'Hurry up so we can get a drink' and 'Only 21 miles to the pub' were some of my favourites last year.
Race etiquette
The etiquette remains much the same as any posh event. You should be mindful not to obstruct others' views when spectating – lower your support sign, just as you would your top hat, so those behind can enjoy the race too. Absolutely no queue jumping to use the loo, even when it's an emergency. And remember, it's important not to be too raucous when supporting; save the real letting-your-hair-down for the after-party, away from the elite of the sporting world.
Which brings us to the obligatory post-race pub booking. It's bound to be somewhere in Chelsea, like The Surprise, The Builders Arms or The Phene (though I had to pass on that one after being told that I would have to cough up £1,250 for a deposit for a quarter of the garden). Instead, you'll catch me at The Rose, on the border of Chelsea and Fulham, the equivalent of being in car park 7 instead of car park 1 at Royal Ascot.
Perhaps the one etiquette rule that does differ from traditional Season events is this: take lots of photos. At Henley or Royal Ascot, you might discreetly capture a moment or two, but selfies? Absolutely not. One attended to soak up the atmosphere, not to broadcast it. But in the age of social media, the element of passagiato – the feeling that people are going to see and to be seen – has never been stronger. Your presence at the London Marathon must be documented across every platform. Not only so you can gloat to your followers that you were there, but to signal precisely who you are and where you sit in the social pecking order.
The traditional Season events we're still going to
However, while many of my friends and I aren't particularly fussed about heading to Henley or Glyndebourne, you'll be pleased to hear we haven't entirely given up on the big posh dos, even if they might seem a bit dry, nouveau riche and full of old people. Despite many complaining that we'll never be able to own a flat in London, we are still willing to fork out £150 on a guest ticket to be in the Royal Enclosure and enjoy attending Wimbledon.
Although many of my friends still love going to the latter, they don't go to 'be seen' or socialise, but rather for the sport. Tash Dell, 24, tells me: 'I love going for the tennis, especially with so many exciting young stars like Alcaraz emerging.
' Wimbledon is the British summer event – it's the most patriotic thing we've got going. Nothing says British summer like strawberries and cream and a glass of Pimms while sitting on Murray Mound.'
Another friend agrees: 'There's Pimms as far as the eye can see and it's the perfect excuse to get dressed up. They really dial up the Britishness with the ceremony and the camaraderie. It's brilliant fun, though you do have to pace yourself on the drinking.'
One old-money friend, 27, still goes to Ascot religiously: 'Dressing up is a welcome contrast to dress-down work culture and who doesn't enjoy seeing the Royal family?' Another, 25, calls it 'the one day of the year you can live in the posh parallel universe and no one bats an eyelid.'
Tash goes for the fashion: 'Everyone goes all out with amazing hats and brilliant dresses and the boys look dapper in their morning suits. It's expensive, but totally worth it to be seen there and socialise. We do a big picnic in car park 1, obviously, and I love bumping into everyone from school and uni. We rarely watch a race – it's all Pimms and people-watching.
'On the Saturday, you'll find all of us Gen Zers at the Birdcage afterparty, before piling back onto the train, rather tipsy, to carry on the party in London.'
And there is one old-fashioned reason why many Gen Zers are still drawn to Royal Ascot: it still acts as the marriage market for the posh. One 21-year-old put it bluntly: 'Where else will I meet my future husband? Daddy says I'm not allowed to bring someone home from Hinge.'
So fear not: while I might be running the London Marathon and attending a wellness festival or two this summer, the young posh are making sure Royal Ascot, et al, are still alive and kicking.
Your guide to the social season: old and new
Glyndebourne Festival
From May 16
A must for lovers of opera and English elegance. Tickets start at £110.
RHS Chelsea Flower Show
May 20–24
Members' tickets are sold out, but general admission is still available for Thursday 22 and Friday 23 May, from £137.85.
Hay Festival
May 22 – June 1
With the rise of BookTok, the corner of TikTok dedicated to reading, well-heeled young Gen Zers are also turning to events like the Hay Festival. CEO Julie Finch says the annual lit fest is attracting more 18 to 30 years olds than ever before. Entry to the festival site is free, but individual events require tickets, with prices varying.
Royal Ascot
June 18–22
Access to the Royal Enclosure requires membership, sponsored by two current members of five years or more. Membership is £90, plus £165 for your ticket.
Wimbledon
July 1–14
The public ballot is now closed. To attend, you can join the iconic on-the-day queue or you need a debenture ticket for guaranteed access. Find out how.
Henley Royal Regatta
July 2–6
Choose between the exclusive Stewards' Enclosure (membership required; tickets from £75, annual fee £442) or the more relaxed Regatta Enclosure, open to the public with tickets from £36.
ALSO Festival
July 11–13
Today's young festival-goer isn't interested in dancing the night away, fuelled by booze and drugs. Instead, they are bonding over a love of sunrise yoga at events like the ALSO festival, which is a cross between a TED Talk, a spa weekend and a wild party in the woods. CEO Diccon Towns says Gen Z 'are looking for community, nature and a retreat from the online world.' Weekend tickets start from £165 for this festival.
TCS London Marathon 2026