London Marathon

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Image:London Marathon 2005 at Embankment.jpg Image:London Marathon 2005 at Blackfriars.jpg 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.

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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 will be held on 23 April, which is St George's Day (St. George is the patron saint of England).

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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:

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Men's race

Winning times for the London Marathon 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 Antonio 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

Image:London Marathon Men's Results.png

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Women's race

Winning times for the London Marathon 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)

Image:London Marathon Women's Results.png

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Men's wheelchair race

This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.
Winning times for the London Marathon Men’s wheelchair race
Year Athlete Country Time
2002 David Weir UK 1:39:44
2003 Joel Jeannot France 1:32:02
2004 Saul Mendoza Mexico
2005 Saul Mendoza Mexico 1:35:51
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Women's wheelchair race

This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.
Winning times for the London Marathon Women’s wheelchair race
Year Athlete Country Time
1997 Tanni Grey-Thompson UK
1998 Tanni Grey-Thompson UK
1999 Tanni Grey-Thompson UK
2000 Tanni Grey-Thompson UK
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
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References

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External links relating to running

Template:Commons

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External links relating to charities

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