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Flora London Marathon 2009/2010
The city of London got its first marathon after former Olympic champion Chris Brasher
returned from New York Marathon feeling exhilarated and wanting to make the
same event happen in his home town.
And London truly deserves to have its own marathon
race, as this was the city where the present marathon distance was set. In the 1908
Olympics, King Edward VII wanted the marathon race to start in the courtyard of Windsor
Castle and end in front of the Royal Box at White City Stadium for the queen to
see. This distance was 42.195 km as opposed to the original distance of 39,90 km
in the first modern Olympics in Athens. The king’s command has been reality ever
since.
The first London Marathon appeared in 1981, and the race has been widely
popular right from the start. In the latest version of the marathon, on Sunday April 13 2008,
more than 34,000 runners out of 92,000 applicants finished the race - making it the third largest
in the London Marathon history. Each year almost
a million people come to watch the runners from street corners and from the city’s impressive
variety of pups, making the event not just a marathon, but also a 42 km long street
party. The next party will be on Sunday April 26, 2009.
The course of the Flora
London Marathon is fast and flat, and basically runs along the River Thames on the
south side and then the north side after crossing the river by the famous Tower
Bridge. On the way from the start in Greenwich/Blackheath to Buckingham Palace, marathoners
will pass a number of famous London landmarks, including Tower of London, London
eye and the 140-year-old clipper ship, Cutty Sark. The fastness and scenery
of the course makes the organisers describe it as ‘An Historical Jog Around London’.
You’ll have to come and see for yourself, if it’s an understatement to call this
event a jog.
Fundraising plays a big role in the Flora London Marathon, and organisers
claim it to be the largest annual fundraising event in the world. Since the beginning
in 1981, the participants have raised a total of GBP 315 million for charity. In
order to attract more attention – and especially more funds – some of the charity
runners dress up in fancy costumes. For example, runners have been seen dressed
up as bananas, rhinos and Darth Vader. The Flora London Marathon is along with the
marathons in Berlin, Boston, Chicago and New York part of the series,
World Marathon
Majors, in which the athletes earn points according to their finish place in the
participating races. The top male and female athletes in the series will split a
USD 1 million prize purse.
If you wish to join the full marathon in London, UK, registration and further information can be found at the official London Marathon site
here.
Flora London Marathon Course 2009
A click
here
will lead you to a map and a description of everything you’ll meet on the course
of the Flora London Marathon.
More information on Flora London Marathon on the next page:
London Marathon Results and Information 2009