Ashby de la Zouch, UK, 23 April, 2012 – CEVA Logistics, a leading global supply chain management company, played a huge part in the smooth running of the 32nd Virgin London Marathon on Sunday 22 April, by taking care of and reuniting 35,000 runners with their belongings.

When tens of thousands of competitors sprinted, trotted or stumbled across the finish line at The Mall, they faced one final obstacle – to find their kit bag.  Luckily for them, CEVA and a group of volunteers were responsible for transporting the bags once again, collecting them from the three start points and ensuring they were easy to find at the finish line.

“This is the 19th year we’ve been involved with the marathonoperation, and everything ran to plan,” says CEVA’s Senior General Manager, Alan Bell. “Each vehicle carries over 1,000 bags so the volunteers keep the bags in order. The competitors arrive at Blackheath and Greenwich Park from 7am but by 9.45am our drivers must be ready to leave.  We used 41 vehicles, which traveled in convoy across central London to the finish line at The Mall, accompanied by a police escort.”

So how does CEVA ensure the right bag is returned to the right runner? “Everyone was given a bag with the same number they ran with. At the end of the run, they just found the truck displaying their number and their bag was handed over. At The Mall, the vehicles are parked and bags sorted into strict numerical order so the runners can easily find the truck with their bag.”

Key facts:

- Over 35,000 runners reunited with their bags  
- Approximately 300 volunteers helping with the operation  
- Over 40 vehicles and 12 managers helped to transport the bags across London.