Latest news with #TCSLondonMarathon
Daily Mirror
19-05-2025
- Health
- Daily Mirror
'Our sons have rare fatal disorder - we met the donors who saved their lives'
Parents Kate and James had never heard of the rare condition their son was born with - and couldn't believe their second son was also then diagnosed with it too A couple whose sons were both born with an extremely rare genetic disorder have met the two donors who saved their boys' lives. Kate Greenstock, 41, and her partner James Reeve, 44, from Margate, Kent, were given the devastating news their son Otis, now five, had been born with severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID). When the couple had their second son, Nelson, now three, they discovered he also had SCID and needed a stem cell transplant to survive, like his brother. They "couldn't believe it" and felt "absolutely devastated". SCID is a condition which means the boys effectively did not have a working immune system and were first presented with vomiting at three months old. According to the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), the condition is fatal, usually within the first year or two of life, unless infants receive immune-restoring treatments, such as transplants. The family was saved when two German donors came forward as matches and were found by the Anthony Nolan charity. The stem cell transplants were a success, and this year, just after Otis' five-year anniversary post-transplant, the family arranged to meet the two donors. The couple invited the two "selfless" men, Domenik and Julian, from Germany to the TCS London Marathon, which James took part in, and said they now feel like "family". Kate, a design director, said: "It was one of the best experiences of my life, meeting them. "I collected Domenik from Stansted Airport, and I wrote in German, 'Thank you for saving Otis' life', on my sign. That hug that we had at Stansted was like nothing I've ever experienced before." James, a software designer, added: "They have made our family possible. Meeting them meant the absolute world to us and… I've got a feeling that this is the beginning of a lifelong relationship. It feels like they're family." The couple had never heard of SCID before Otis was born in July 2019, but they noticed Otis stopped gaining weight at around three months old and started vomiting and knew "something wasn't right". Doctors discovered Otis had pneumonia and he went into intensive care, before being transferred to Evelina London Children's Hospital and then Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH). This is when Kate and James were told Otis had SCID when he was six months old. "He was still on a ventilator, fighting for his life at the time, so the doctor said, 'The first thing we need to do is get him off the ventilator', but he also said the treatment for SCID will be a year long," Kate said. Due to SCID causing major abnormalities of the immune system, Otis was kept in an "isolation room" at Gosh to reduce the risk of infection. Kate and James were told that, without a stem cell transplant, their son had "no way to fight off infection" – but he needed to recover from pneumonia first, otherwise it was "too dangerous". James said: "We were whisked up to London, and then we didn't come home for five months." During this time, the UK stem cell transplant charity Anthony Nolan was looking for a suitable donor, but with the Covid-19 restrictions at the time, the couple feared this would affect or delay the process. The charity facilitates around 1,100 stem cell transplants from an unrelated donor every year for patients in the UK and more than 300 for patients abroad. Kate said they were "hopeful and terrified in equal parts" and just prayed for a positive outcome. She added: "It really felt like we were against the odds to be able to get the cells." Thankfully, a donor was found for Otis – Domenik, from Germany – and Anthony Nolan was able to transport his cells to the UK. Otis then underwent chemotherapy, which caused anaphylactic shock, but after recovering and switching to another type of chemotherapy, he was able to receive the transplant in April 2020. This involves doctors giving new, healthy stem cells to the patient via their bloodstream, where they begin to grow and create healthy red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets. "We were at one of the best centres in the world and they were able to help us through this very scary and surreal situation – it was just phenomenal," James recalled. "We owe them everything." The transplant was successful and, after ringing the bell to celebrate the end of his treatment in June, the family were able to return home and celebrate Otis' first birthday and then Christmas. Since they knew Otis had SCID, they learned there was a one in four chance that another baby would have the same condition. When Kate fell pregnant again, she underwent testing and Nelson was diagnosed with SCID before he was born in March 2022, which left them "devastated". "We knew we were taking a chance by getting pregnant again, but we didn't think we were going to be that unlucky." However, due to this early diagnosis, it meant Anthony Nolan could search for a donor before he was born, and the best match was Julian, from Germany. Nelson underwent his transplant in June 2022 at just three months old, and it was a success. He rang the bell to mark the end of his treatment in July. Kate said: "In some ways we've been unlucky, but we've been so lucky that Anthony Nolan exists and that two men in Germany who, could have easily said 'no', were willing to give up their time and put their bodies through something for us." To give back, James decided to run the TCS London Marathon to raise money for Anthony Nolan. He received more than £7,000 in donations, surpassing his £5,000 target. Feeling "constantly grateful" for the donors, they decided to invite them to London for the race weekend and said meeting them was incredibly emotional. With both boys now "happy and thriving", Kate and James want to continue raising awareness of the charity and the importance of life-saving stem cell transplants. "This feels like the closing of one very difficult chapter and the celebration of a new chapter. "I just feel so grateful that, in our case, it's not only one happy story, it's two happy stories. They have saved our children's lives," James added.
Daily Record
16-05-2025
- Sport
- Daily Record
London Marathon 2025 prize money: How much winners and record breakers will receive in iconic race
A record-breaking 56,000 could finish Sunday's TCS London Marathon and while the vast majority will just want to make it to the finish line while raising huge funds for charities, there is some big money on offer for the pros at the front of the field. Last year London made the big step to offer equal prize pools for all four races - including the wheelchair events - and the sums remain the same for 2025. Organisers believe they have assembled the greatest elite field in the sport's history, despite women's world record holder Ruth Chepngetich and legend Kenenisa Bekele withdrawing in the past few days. Icon Eliud Kipchoge is among those lining up in the men's race, alongside 2024's fastest marathoner Sebastian Sawe, Olympic champion Tamirat Tola and recent half marathon record breaker Jacob Kiplimo. Triple Olympic medalist Sifan Hasan, who won this event in dramatic fashion two years ago, is among the favourites in the women's event along with former world record holder Tigst Assefa. Among the domestic interests are debutants Alex Yee and Eilish McColgan. Prize money, which is paid in dollars because it is part of the World Marathon Majors series, starts from $1,000 for 12th position up to $55,000 for the winners. But that money is supplemented by hefty appearance fees for the star names with time bonuses - capped at $150,000 - also on offer. The men's course record of 2:01:25 was set by Kelvin Kiptum in 2023, with Peres Jepchirchir running a women's record 2:16:16 in 2024 - less than a minute behind Paula Radcliffe's 2003 record of 2:15:25, which was recorded when the race was still mixed. Swiss Marcel Hug set a men's wheelchair record of 1:23:44 in 2023 with compatriot Manuela Schar holding the women's mark of 1:39:52 from 2017. And fast times could be on the cards again this year with the weather forecast predicting light winds and sunny spells - though the temperature could creep into the 20s by the time those back the field have reached the latter stages. London Marathon 2025 prize money (equal prize money for all four elite races) 12th - $1,000 (£752) 11th - $1,500 (£1,128) 10th - $2,000 (£1,504) 9th - $3,000 (£2,255) 8th - $4,000 (£3,008) 7th - $5,000 (£3,760) 6th - $7,500 (£5,640) 5th - $10,000 (£7,520) 4th - $15,000 (£11,280) 3rd - $22,500 (£16,920) 2nd - $30,000 (£22,559) 1st - $55,000 (£41,358)
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Business Standard
15-05-2025
- Business
- Business Standard
TCS' brand value up 28% to $57.3 billion, says Kantar BrandZ report
Tata Consultancy Services' (TCS) brand value surged 28 per cent to $57.3 billion, according to the Kantar BrandZ Most Valuable Global Brands 2025 Report. India's largest IT services provider is now ranked 45th globally in a list that features the world's most prominent brands across industry sectors. This year's growth marks a sharp acceleration in brand equity, favourability, and awareness, the company said. This recognition builds on TCS' recent achievement in the Kantar BrandZ Most Valuable Indian Brands 2024 rankings, where it retained the number one spot for the third consecutive year. 'TCS' performance this year demonstrates its ability to innovate at scale, with AI capabilities now running through its portfolios. TCS' strategic sponsorship programmes continue to build a strong global presence and community around its brand,' said Martin Guerrieria, Head of Kantar BrandZ. Part of the brand's momentum also comes from its association with global sporting events. TCS sponsors 14 global running events, including five of the seven Abbott World Marathon Majors—such as the TCS New York City Marathon, TCS London Marathon, and TCS Sydney Marathon. These events engage over 600,000 runners annually and contributed $2.25 billion to local economies in 2024, raising $279 million for charitable causes. The TCS brand also recorded a 30-point uplift in brand familiarity and a 40-point uplift in brand consideration—the highest improvement among all key sponsors in the sport. The Kantar BrandZ list continues to be dominated by American tech giants. Apple retained the top position with a brand value of $1.3 trillion, followed by Google, Microsoft, Amazon, and Nvidia. US brands now comprise 82 per cent of the total value of the Global Top 100, up from 63 per cent in 2006. However, the report notes that rising competition from Chinese brands and volatility due to escalating tariffs could disrupt this trend.
The Hindu
15-05-2025
- Business
- The Hindu
TCS brand valued at $57.3 billion by Kantar, ranked 45th globally; Infosys at 73rd with $33.09 billion
Tata Consultancy Services, India's tech bellwether, has been accorded a brand value of $57.3 billion with an accelerated 28% year-on-year growth, as per a brand ranking released by Kantar, a London firm that analyses and values brands. TCS now ranks 45th brand globally, in a list of 100 that includes the world's most prominent brands across industry sectors, according to Kantar BrandZ Most Valuable Global Brands 2025 Report. Apple, Google and Microsoft took the first three positions with brand values of $1,299.65 billion, $944.137 billion and $944.13 billion, respectively. Other Indian brands Indian brands that found a place in the Kantar list included HDFC Bank (56th), Bharti Airtel (66th) and Infosys (73rd). Brand HDFC Bank was valued at $44.95 billion, Bharti Airtel at $37.09 billion, and Infosys was valued at $33.09 billion. In a separate independent brand audit carried out by Momentum-ITSMA, TCS demonstrated 95% aided brand awareness with business executives across 26 countries worldwide, up exponentially from 29%, which the same audit polled in 2010. This growth in brand value and equity highlighted TCS's sustained brand-building efforts, including high-impact global sports partnerships, customer-centric innovation and consistent marketing excellence, said the report. Martin Guerrieria, Head of Kantar BrandZ, said, 'TCS's performance this year demonstrates its ability to innovate at scale with AI capabilities now running through its portfolios. TCS's strategic sponsorship programmes continue to build a strong global presence and community around its brand.' TCS's rise in brand value was rooted in its long-term commitment to humanising technology through experiences that inspire, innovations that transform, and relationships that go the distance, the survey found. According to data released by Kantar, TCS also sponsors 14 global running events, including five of the seven Abbott World Marathon Majors such as the TCS New York City Marathon, TCS London Marathon, and TCS Sydney Marathon. These events engage over 600,000 runners annually and contribute $2.25 billion to local economies in 2024, raising $279 million for charitable causes.
Time of India
08-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
‘Where are her clothes?': Holly Archer shuts down backlash over London marathon outfit
Marathon Achievement Overshadowed by Outfit Criticism British middle-distance runner Holly Archer completed her first-ever marathon at the 2025 TCS London Marathon with a strong time of 2 hours and 39 minutes. The 31-year-old, who won silver in the 1500m at the 2021 European Athletics Indoor Championships, finished as the fourth British woman in the elite category. The April 27 event saw a record 56,640 runners cross the finish line. However, instead of her athletic performance making headlines, much of the online attention focused on her race-day attire, professional running briefs known in the industry as 'run buns.' Social media commenters flooded Archer's post-race video with remarks questioning her outfit. Operation Sindoor IC-814 hijacking mastermind Abdul Rauf Azhar killed in Op Sindoor Pahalgam attack: India flays Pak for opposing TRF mention in UN statement Did Pak shoot down Indian jets? What MEA said Some said she looked 'uncomfortable,' while others compared the briefs to a bikini. One user asked, 'Where's her clothes?' and another mocked, 'There's lots of shops in London you should check them out they have loads of clothes.' Archer Responds to Backlash with Defiance In response, Archer posted a follow-up video on TikTok sarcastically asking, 'Should I have worn a tracksuit?' She also addressed the weather conditions during the race, noting it was around 75°F (24°C) with 78% humidity — conditions that justified wearing minimal, breathable gear. Frustrated by the focus on her appearance, Archer responded bluntly: 'Fu*k the lot of yeehh? Give me a break!' Despite criticism, she proudly reflected on the experience on Instagram , calling it 'crazy' and unforgettable. 'The crowds, the noise, the energy, it's something I'll never forget,' she wrote. Acknowledging that she didn't meet her target time, Archer added, 'My time wasn't what I came here to do, BUT … before we judge, it was HOT. Bloody hot!' Double Standards and Online Support The backlash highlighted the double standards female athletes still face. While Archer's outfit aligns with what women in elite track and long-distance running have worn for decades, it became a focal point for criticism. One comment read: 'Crazy how the guys can do this not in a bikini.' Another implied men perform better because they wear more clothes. Supporters quickly rallied behind Archer. 'Anyone moaning about what you're wearing doesn't understand the magnitude of running a marathon in 2 and a half hours,' one fan wrote. Another added, 'As if you've ran a marathon in that incredible time and people are choosing to comment on your clothing… Girl you're amazing and I'm inspired.' Others praised her fitness: 'If I had abs like yours I would wear that daily. Not just on race days.' One user offered genuine curiosity: 'What is the reason for the bikini-like bottoms… why are they better than running shorts?' A Broader Issue in Women's Sport Archer's experience fits into a broader discussion about gender bias in athletics . Despite progress, societal expectations about women's appearances persist. According to 2023 data, 97% of women believe they are judged on how they look, and 61% have received negative comments or abuse about their appearance. In closing her Instagram post, Archer emphasized her mindset: 'I came for a time, and I fell short. I also came to NOT give up, and I absolutely didn't.' Her performance, determination, and response to critics reinforce her status not only as an elite athlete but also as a voice against outdated norms in sport.
