The London Marathon is a popular road marathon that has been held each year in London since 1981, usually in April. London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located The marathon is a long-distance foot race with an official distance of 42 Road running is the sport of Running on a measured course over an established Road (as opposed to track and Cross country running) The marathon is a long-distance foot race with an official distance of 42 London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. In addition to being one of the top five international marathons run over the traditional distance of 42. 195 km (26 miles and 385 yards), it is also a large, celebratory sporting festival, second only to the Great North Run in Newcastle, in terms of the number of participants. The BUPA Great North Run is the world's most popular Half marathon Road running event Newcastle upon Tyne ( (often shortened to Newcastle) is a city and Metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, England

An unusual feature is the very large amounts of money raised for charity, much more than other marathons. ^[1] According to the race organisers, it is now the largest annual fund raising event in the world with the 2006 participants raising over £41. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. 5 million for charity, bringing the total amount raised for charity by runners, to a grand total of £315 million. ^[2]. In 2007, 78% of all runners raised money.

It is one of the World Marathon Majors, a two-year series of elite marathon racing that also includes the Boston, Chicago, New York and Berlin marathons. The World Marathon Majors is a championship-style competition that started in 2006 The Boston Marathon is an annual marathon sporting event hosted by the city of Boston, Massachusetts The Bank of America 's Chicago Marathon (formerly the LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon) is a major Marathon held yearly in Chicago The New York City Marathon ( ING New York City Marathon for Sponsorship reasons is a major annual marathon (42 The Berlin Marathon is a major running and sporting event held annually in Berlin, Germany.

History

See also: List of winners of the London Marathon

The London Marathon was founded by former Olympic champion and renowned journalist Chris Brasher, who was influenced by the New York Marathon. This is a list of winners of the London Marathon. The London Marathon has been run annually since 1981 and is counted among the World Marathon Majors. Christopher William "Chris" Brasher CBE ( 21 August 1928 – 28 February 2003) was a British athlete The New York City Marathon ( ING New York City Marathon for Sponsorship reasons is a major annual marathon (42 He aspired to establish a race of this scale. In the 1908 Summer Olympics, which were held in London, the length of the course had been 26 miles and 385 yards to the White City Stadium, thus setting the standard length of modern marathons ever since. The 1908 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the IV Olympiad, were an International Multi-sport event which was held in 1908 in London White City Stadium (originally The Great Stadium) was built in White City, London, for the 1908 Summer Olympics.

The first London Marathon was held on March 29, 1981, when nearly 7,500 athletes participated in the race. Events 1461 - Wars of the Roses: Battle of Towton - Edward of York defeats Queen Margaret to become King Year 1981 ( MCMLXXXI) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link displays the 1981 The Marathon's popularity has steadily grown since then. In 2007 36,396 people started the marathon, the biggest field since the race began. As many as 125,000 people originally applied to run, and 49,963 applications were accepted. ^[3] Only the 50,000+ participants in Newcastle's 'Great North Run' annually exceeds this number of entrants.

The race is currently organised by former 10,000m world record holder David Bedford. David Bedford (born December 30, 1949 in London) was an English long distance runner, whose career spanned the early 1970s Bedford has overseen a period of great change for the race, including amendments to the course in 2005 which saw the famous cobbled section by the Tower of London replaced with a flat stretch along the Highway. Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress, more commonly known as the Tower of London (and historically as The Tower) is a historic monument in central London ^[4]

Whilst it is a serious athletic event, with large prize money attracting elite athletes, public perception of the race is dominated by club and fun runners. Only the summer British 10K race closes the centre of London similarly to the marathon. Sometimes in ludicrous fancy dress and often collecting money for charity, these make up the bulk of the 30,000+ runners and help to draw crowds of half a million on the streets. Nine people have died in relation to running the London Marathon since the event began, with the most recent being a 22-year-old man^[5] who died of hyponatremia^[6]. Hyponatremia ( British: hyponatraemia) is an Electrolyte disturbance (disturbance of the salts in the blood in which the Sodium ( Natrium

On April 19, 2003, former boxer Michael Watson, who had been told he would never be able to walk again after a fight with Chris Eubank, made headlines by finishing the marathon in six days, becoming a national hero in England. Events 1012 - Martyrdom of Alphege in Greenwich London. 1529 - At the Second Diet of Speyer Year 2003 ( MMIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. Michael Watson (born March 15, 1965) is a retired British boxer Chris Eubank (born Christopher Livingstone Eubanks on August 8 1966) is a retired boxer and English celebrity who held the WBO Middleweight

In 2006 Sir Steve Redgrave (winner of five consecutive Olympic Gold Medals) set a new Guinness World Record for money raised through a marathon by collecting £1. Sir Stephen Geoffrey Redgrave CBE (born on 23 March, 1962, in Marlow) is a British Rower who won gold medals at five Guinness World Records, known until 2000 as The Guinness Book of Records (and in previous U 8 million in sponsorship. This broke the record set the previous year by the founder of the Oasis Trust, Steve Chalke MBE, who had collected over £1. Oasis Trust (known as "Oasis" is a UK-based Christian Registered charity. Steve Chalke (MBE UNGIFT Special Advisor on Community Action against Human Trafficking is a prominent and often outspoken Christian leader and social activist based in the UK 25 million. Steve Chalke recovered the record in 2007, raising at least £1. 85 million. ^[7]

A small number of runners, known as the "Ever Presents", have completed each of the London Marathons since 1981. By 2007 their number had shrunk to 24. As of 2007, the oldest runner among them is 80-year-old Reg Burbidge, whilst the youngest runner is 48-year-old Chris Finill. They are all male. ^[8]

Course description and Information

All Runners must be over 18 to enter and must be fit and well on race day. The course starts in three separate points around Blackheath at 115ft above sea level, on the south of the Thames. Blackheath is an area in southeast London centred around a section of open public grassland ('the Heath' and straddling the boundary of the London Borough of Lewisham and the All the runners eventually converging in Woolwich where the Royal Artillery Barracks is passed, the route descending from 140ft to 35ft over a period of half a mile. Woolwich (ˈwʊlɪtʃ or /ˈwʊlɪdʒ/ is a suburb in south-east London, England in the London Borough of Greenwich, on the south side of the River The Royal Artillery Barracks at Woolwich in South East London is the "home" of the Royal Artillery.

At approximately 6 ½ miles runners go around the Cutty Sark in Greenwich. Etymology The ship is named after the cutty sark ( Scots: a short Chemise or Undergarment) Greenwich ( ˈɡrɛnɪtʃ GREN-itch /ˈɡrɛnɪdʒ/ GREN-idge or /ˈɡrɪnɪdʒ/ GRIN-idge is a district in south-east London, Then the course goes through Surrey Quays, Bermondsey and along Jamaica Road before reaching Tower Bridge at around 12 miles. Surrey Quays is a name given to a largely residential area of Rotherhithe in south-east London, occupied until 1970 by the Surrey Commercial Docks. Bermondsey (ˈbɜːmənzi or /ˈbɜːməndzi/ is an area in modern London on the southern bank of the river Thames, and presently part of the London Borough The A200 is an A road in London running from London Bridge to Greenwich. Tower Bridge is a combined bascule and Suspension bridge in London, England over the River Thames. The runners then cross the Thames, turning east along The Highway through Wapping to the Isle of Dogs, before returning back along The Highway passing the Tower of London at 22 ½ miles. The Highway, formerly known as the Ratcliffe Highway, is a mile-long road in the East End of London, with several historic landmarks nearby Wapping (pronounced 'Wopping' is a place in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets which forms part of the Docklands to the east of the City of London. The Isle of Dogs is a former island in the East End of London that is surrounded on three sides (east south and west by one of the largest Meanders in Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress, more commonly known as the Tower of London (and historically as The Tower) is a historic monument in central London

The route now follows the Thames along the Embankment up to the Houses of Parliament where it turns toward St James's Park and Buckingham Palace, finishing in The Mall. The Thames Embankment is a major feat of 19th century Civil engineering in central London. For the football stadium in Newcastle upon Tyne, see St James' Park; for the football stadium in Exeter, see St James Park Buckingham Palace is the official London residence of the British monarch. The Mall (ˈmæl in London is the road running from Buckingham Palace at its western end to Admiralty Arch and on to Trafalgar Square

It is the only Marathon course in the world that is run in two hemispheres, both the East and West, as the full course crosses the Prime Meridian in Greenwich. Eastern Hemisphere, also Eastern hemisphere or eastern hemisphere, is a geographical term for the half of the Earth that is east of the The Western Hemisphere, also Western hemisphere or western hemisphere, is a geographical term for the half of the Earth that lies West The Prime Meridian is the meridian (line of Longitude) at which longitude is defined to be 0° Greenwich ( ˈɡrɛnɪtʃ GREN-itch /ˈɡrɛnɪdʒ/ GREN-idge or /ˈɡrɪnɪdʒ/ GRIN-idge is a district in south-east London,

Medical Cover

Medical cover is provided mainly by the volunteers of St. John Ambulance. It's members travel from all over the country to care for runners who require medical attention.

Television coverage

The BBC covers the event, devoting rolling coverage for most of the morning. The theme music associated with this coverage, and with the event itself, is called Main Titles to The Trap, composed by Ron Goodwin for the film The Trap. Ronald Alfred Goodwin (17 February 1925 &ndash 8 January 2003 was a British Composer and conductor best known for his Film scores The Trap is an adventure/romance film released in 1966 starring Oliver Reed, written by David D

2010 Sponsorship

On 16 May 2008 London Marathon Limited signed a new five year sponsorship deal with Virgin and Virgin Money. Events 1204 - Baldwin IX Count of Flanders is crowned as the first Emperor of the Latin Empire. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Virgin Group Ltd is a branded Venture capital conglomerate of separately run companies that each use the Virgin brand of British business tycoon Virgin Money is a UK -based Financial services company owned by the Virgin Group and founded by Sir Richard Branson in March 1995 Virgin spend £17m on the five year deal and is aimed to raise even more money for good causes.

Sponsors and Partners

The Marathon Helicopter over North London flies around London Annually on Marathon Day.

• Flora
• Virgin
• Adidas
• Lucozade Sport
• Vittel
• Holiday Inn
• London Pride
• Renault
• Runner's World
• Timex
• TNT
• Heart UK
• Spinal Injuries Association
• BBC Sport
• BBC London
• BBC Radio 5 Live

See also

• List of winners of the London Marathon
• Running
• Half marathon
• Exercise
• London Triathlon

References

External links

• Official website
• Virgin London Marathon website
• Adidas Mini London Marathon
• www.42k195.com
• London Marathon Route Guide