How long is the London Marathon 2018 and where is the start – here’s the route?

THE London Marathon on Sunday brings into focus what many consider to be the finest test of an athlete.

Just how exhausting the race can be was highlighted at the Commonwealth Games when Scotland’s Callum Hawkins collapsed just one mile short of the finish line.

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So the plucky Brit failed to master the current official marathon distance of 26 miles, 385 yards that has been been recognised since 1921.

The weather in London is hardly likely to match that on the Gold Coast last weekend, so serious episode’s like Hawkins’ are unlikely to occur.

The fastest ever run over the distance came in 2014  when Kenyan Dennis Kimetto ran 2:02:57 at the Berlin Marathon.

The IAAF recognises two world records for women, firstly a ‘Mixed Gender’ record of 2:15:25, set by England’s Paula Radcliffe at the 2003 London Marathon.

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Secondly, there is ‘Women Only’ record of 2:17:01 set by Mary Keitany in the 2017 London Marathon.

So is the marathon always 26 miles, 385 yards?

Yes. The distance was adopted by the IAAF in 1921 and it is assumed to derive from the 1908 Summer Olympics in London.
The route was originally about 25 miles, but then had to be lengthened due to several reasons:

1 Complaints were received that the final few miles of the original route were tramlines and cobbles.

2 The Royalty wanted to watch the start of the race and race organisers wanted the start to be closed to the public, so the start was moved to the East Terrace of Windsor Castle.

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3 In order to give the spectators (including Queen Alexandra) the best view of the finish, the race ended in the stadium at about 385 yards.

Why has Paula Radcliffe’s record lasted for so long?

Basically, the battling Brit was very much a front-runner, always judging herself against the clock.

Paul clocked 2:15:25 racing with the men; many of the big races now have women-only starts so men aren’t around to ‘pace’ them.

Since Japan’s Naoko Takahashi broke the 2:20 barrier at Berlin in 2001, 16 other runners have broken 2:20 a total of 22 times.

In the last six years, there have been only 10 sub-2:20s, six recorded in 2012.

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How many marathons are there around the world?

There are more than 500 organised marathons in 64 countries around the world each year, with more than 425,000 marathon finishers in the United States alone.

Many veterans will tell you the first 26 miles are easy, its that last quarter-mile that will kill you.

In the 1908 Olympic Games marathon –  the first to be held over the classic 26-mile distance – exhausted Italian runner Dorando Pietri was the first to cross the line in White City Stadium, in front of the Queen.

But Pietri was subsequently disqualified as he had been helped to the finish by two officials.