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Event Information:
The
London Marathon, one of the
biggest running events in the world,
takes place on Sunday 22 April , and is one of the five top world
marathons that make up the World
Marathon Majors competition which
has a $1 million prize purse. It has
been held each spring in London
since 1981. The race is currently
sponsored by Virgin Money, as the
Virgin London Marathon. Previously
the event was sponsored by Flora
(from 1996 to 2009).
London marathon live streaming
The
race was founded by the former
Olympic champion and renowned
journalist Chris Brasher and Welsh
athlete John Disley. It is organised
by former 10,000m world record
holder David Bedford as Race
Director and Nick Bitel as Chief
Executive. Set over a largely flat
course around the River Thames, the
race begins at three separate points
around Blackheath and finishes in
The Mall alongside St. James's
Palace. Since the first marathon,
the course has undergone very few
route changes. In 1982, the
finishing post was moved from
Constitution Hill to Westminster
Bridge due to construction works. It
remained there for twelve years
before moving to its present
location at The Mall.
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),
the London Marathon is also a large,
celebratory sporting festival,
second only to the Great North Run
in Newcastle, in terms of the number
of participants. The event has
raised over £450 million for charity
since 1981, and holds the Guinness
world record as the largest annual
fund raising event in the world,
with the 2009 participants raising
over £47.2 million for charity. In
2007, 78% of all runners raised
money. In the official charity
of the London Marathon is Oxfam.
Set
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.
Spanning 42.195 kilometres (26 miles
and 385 yards),[17] it is the only
Marathon course in the world that is
run across two hemispheres, starting
in the Eastern Hemisphere, crossing
the Prime Meridian in Greenwich
after 9.8 km (6.1 miles) and
finishing in the Western Hemisphere.
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