London Marathon

The London Marathon is the realization of a dream by Chris Brasher. In 1979, Brasher, previously an Olympic Champion, took part in the celebrated New York City Marathon. He arrived back in London, England, determined this city could organize a world-class event. He was not long at home. In order to plan and prepare, he went off to study the two most famous marathons at the time: the Boston Marathon and the New York Marathon.

After this preliminary work, including establishing charitable status and obtaining a sponsor, Brasher was set to present the newly created London Marathon to the world. As a result, on March 29, 1981, the London Marathon began what organizers hoped would be the start of something great. It was an instant success. The organizers selected 7,747 runners from the overwhelming 20,000 applicants. On this first day of the race, 6,255 individuals made it across the finishing line. Crowds of people lined the route and cheered the runners on to the finish line. The London Marathon is now a widely accepted marathon.

Over the years, the London Marathon route altered. While the Starting point has always been on Blackheath Common and Greenwich Park, the end differs from the first year. Originally, the finish line was on Constitution Hill. From 1982 to 1994, runners ended the race at Westmister Bridge. While the bridge was being repaired in 1995, the finish line moved to the Mall. A London Marathon course map shows other minor and major variations. In 2005, runners no longer ran across the cobblestones of the Tower of London. Instead, they raced along the level Highway.

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In 1983, the organizers planned a new addition to the Marathon, the Adidas London Mini Marathon. This marathon, designed for children ages 11 to17, follows the last 2.65 miles of the London Marathon course. Children start at Southwark Bridge and Upper Thames Street and run to the finish line at the Mall. If you attend the Marathon, be aware there will be at least one major travel disruption during the London Marathon in these, and other, areas. London Marathon volunteers, on site, can help you man oeuvre through the traffic problems.

The London Marathon, after several sponsors over the years is now the Flora London Marathon. A list of London Marathon facts shows Gillette, Mars, Apt and Nutrasweet were all sponsor of the Marathon before 1996. Today, Flora contributes heavily to keep the event going and to maintain its status. The London Marathon list of runners, for 2007, included World Record holder, Paul Tergat and Olympic medal holders Stephano Baldini and Meb Keflesighi. The London Marathon list of winners did not include any of these men. The Flora London Marathon results show the winners to be Martin Lel of Kenya and Chunxiou Zhou of China. Unfortunately, a death marred the race. Since 1981, in the London Marathon, deaths total nine in all.