London Marathon
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The London Marathon is a marathon race that has been held each year in London since 1981, usually in April. While it is run over the traditional distance of 42.195 km [26 miles and 385 yards], it is not the conventional marathon it was intended to be; it has become a large, celebratory sporting festival.
Description
The London Marathon was founded by former Olympic champion and renowned journalist Chris Brasher, who was influenced by the New York Marathon and aspired to establish a race of this scale.The London Marathon came into existence on March 29, 1981, when nearly 7,500 athletes participated in the race. By the 25th event the number of starters reached 35,680.
Whilst it is a serious athletic event, with large prize money attracting elite athletes, public perception of the race is dominated by the fun runners. 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.
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 after six days of competing, becoming a national hero in England.
The 2006 London Marathon was held on 23 April ([link], [link], [link], [link], [link]), which was also St George's Day (St. George is the patron saint of England).
The next London Marathon will take place on Sunday, April 22, 2007.
Results
Run over a largely flat course around the River Thames, the London Marathon is generally regarded as a very competitive and unpredictable event, and conducive to fast times. The record times are shown in bold below and also highlighted in the history tables:- 2:05:38 for men (Khalid Khannouchi, USA) in 2002 and
- 2:15:25 for women (Paula Radcliffe, UK) in 2003.
Men's race
| Year | Athlete | Country | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | Inge Simonsen & Dick Beardsley | Norway & USA | 2:11:48 (dead heat) |
| 1982 | Hugh Jones | UK | 2:09:24 |
| 1983 | Mike Gratton | UK | 2:09:43 |
| 1984 | Charlie Spedding | UK | 2:09:57 |
| 1985 | Steve Jones | UK | 2:08:16 |
| 1986 | Toshihiko Seko | Japan | 2:10:02 |
| 1987 | Hiromi Taniguchi | Japan | 2:09:50 |
| 1988 | Henrik Jørgensen | Denmark | 2:10:20 |
| 1989 | Douglas Wakiihuri | Kenya | 2:09:03 |
| 1990 | Allister Hutton | UK | 2:10:10 |
| 1991 | Yakov Tolstikov | Russia | 2:09:17 |
| 1992 | António Pinto | Portugal | 2:10:02 |
| 1993 | Eamonn Martin | UK | 2:10:50 |
| 1994 | Dionicio Cerón | Mexico | 2:08:53 |
| 1995 | Dionicio Cerón | Mexico | 2:08:30 |
| 1996 | Dionicio Cerón | Mexico | 2:10:00 |
| 1997 | António Pinto | Portugal | 2:07:55 |
| 1998 | Abel Antón | Spain | 2:07:57 |
| 1999 | Abdelkader El Mouaziz | Morocco | 2:07:57 |
| 2000 | António Pinto | Portugal | 2:06:36 |
| 2001 | Abdelkader El Mouaziz | Morocco | 2:07:09 |
| 2002 | Khalid Khannouchi | USA | 2:05:38 (Men's World Record) |
| 2003 | Gezahegne Abera | Ethiopia | 2:07:56 |
| 2004 | Evans Rutto | Kenya | 2:06:18 |
| 2005 | Martin Lel | Kenya | 2:07:35 |
| 2006 | Felix Limo | Kenya | 2:06:39 |
Women's race
| Year | Athlete | Country | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | Joyce Smith | UK | 2:29:57 |
| 1982 | Joyce Smith | UK | 2:29:43 |
| 1983 | Grete Waitz | Norway | 2:25:29 |
| 1984 | Ingrid Kristiansen | Norway | 2:24:26 |
| 1985 | Ingrid Kristiansen | Norway | 2:21:06 |
| 1986 | Grete Waitz | Norway | 2:24:54 |
| 1987 | Ingrid Kristiansen | Norway | 2:22:48 |
| 1988 | Ingrid Kristiansen | Norway | 2:25:41 |
| 1989 | Véronique Marot | UK | 2:25:56 |
| 1990 | Wanda Panfil | Poland | 2:26:31 |
| 1991 | Rosa Mota | Portugal | 2:26:14 |
| 1992 | Katrin Dörre | Germany | 2:29:39 |
| 1993 | Katrin Dörre | Germany | 2:27:09 |
| 1994 | Katrin Dörre | Germany | 2:32:34 |
| 1995 | Malgorzata Sobanska | Poland | 2:27:43 |
| 1996 | Liz McColgan | UK | 2:27:54 |
| 1997 | Joyce Chepchumba | Kenya | 2:26:51 |
| 1998 | Catherina McKiernan | Ireland | 2:26:26 |
| 1999 | Joyce Chepchumba | Kenya | 2:23:22 |
| 2000 | Tegla Laroupe | Kenya | 2:24:33 |
| 2001 | Derartu Tulu | Ethiopia | 2:23:57 |
| 2002 | Paula Radcliffe | UK | 2:18:56 |
| 2003 | Paula Radcliffe | UK | 2:15:25 (Women's World Record) |
| 2004 | Margaret Okayo | Kenya | 2:22:35 |
| 2005 | Paula Radcliffe | UK | 2:17:42 (Women Only World Best) |
| 2006 | Deena Kastor | USA | 2:19:35 |
Men's wheelchair race
| Year | Athlete | Country | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | David Weir | UK | 1:39:44 |
| 2003 | Joel Jeannot | France | 1:32:02 |
| 2004 | Saúl Mendoza | Mexico | |
| 2005 | Saúl Mendoza | Mexico | 1:35:51 |
| 2006 | David Weir | UK | 1:29:48 |
Women's wheelchair race
| Year | Athlete | Country | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Tanni Grey-Thompson | UK | |
| 1998 | Tanni Grey-Thompson | UK | |
| 1999 | Tanni Grey-Thompson | UK | |
| 2000 | Sarah Piercy | UK | 2:23:30 |
| 2001 | Tanni Grey-Thompson | UK | |
| 2002 | Tanni Grey-Thompson | UK | 2:22:51 |
| 2003 | Francesca Porcellato | Italy | 2:04:21 |
| 2004 | Francesca Porcellato | Italy | 2:05:00 |
| 2005 | Francesca Porcellato | Italy | 1:57:00 |
| 2006 | Francesca Porcellato | Italy | 1:59:57 |
See also
References
- BBC (2004). [The London Marathon 2006 - How to run in it]. December 19, 2005.
External links relating to running
- [www.london-marathon.co.uk: Official website]
- [www.london-marathon.info: private website (how2enter, route, stats, reports, photos)]
- [realbuzz.com] - Running, health and fitness site, also creators of the Flora London Marathon website
- *[realbuzz.com Flora London Marathon chat forum]
- [Runner's World (UK) website]
- * [Runner's World (UK) discussion forums]
- [Guide to entering the London Marathon]
- [RunnersForum.co.uk London Marathon Page]
- * [RunnersForum.co.uk running discussion]
External links relating to charities
- [Fundraising service for London Marathon runners to build online sponsorship pages] The London Marathon is the UK's single biggest one day charity fundraiser. Over £31 million pounds was raised for charity in 2002.
- [Get Kids Going - Run the London Marathon for disabled children] - Tanni Grey Thompson is their patron
- [Amnesty International needs your support]
- [Cancer Research UK needs your support]
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