2012 Olympic Marathon Course

The course

|access-date = 30 June 2012 |archive-date = 16 June 2012 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120616220200/http://www.london2012.com/mm/Document/Documents/General/01/25/71/49/OLYMarathoncourseGTW_Neutral.pdf |url-status = dead

The route, as confirmed in October 2010, starts on The Mall about 350 metres from the Victoria MemorialThis reference shows the 26-mile mark as being in front of the Victoria Memorial leaving 385 yd to the end point (which is also the start point). and has four laps, finishing at the start point. It follows the Victoria Embankment towards the City of London where it takes a winding route and continues eastwards to Tower Hill. At this point there is a U-turn and the route heads westwards, again using the Embankment as far as the Palace of Westminster and thence back to The Mall. The last three laps are identical and are exactly 8 mi each. The first lap, which only incorporates the south-western section of the route, is 2 mi long.{{cite web |access-date = 2 January 2011 |archive-date = 2 February 2011 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110202193651/http://www.london2012.com/news/2010/10/london-2012-olympic-and-paralympic-marathons-to-start-an.php |url-status = dead

A summary of the course and associated distance points is given below:

Route description

Runner's World described the course as "picturesque" as well as "labyrinthine", noting that included among the 111 turns or bends are four U-turns.

The marathon route starts part way along The Mall and, heading away from Buckingham Palace proceeds through Admiralty Arch and past Nelson's Column in Trafalgar Square. A slight turn to the right onto Northumberland Avenue which drops down to near river-level over a distance of 350 metres (a little under a quarter of a mile).Computed from Google Earth on 31 May 2012; cross-checked on {{cite map

After Blackfriars station (at the end of the Embankment), the course climbs Puddle Dock, a short but steep 16-metre hill from Upper Thames Street to Queen Victoria Street which is paved with cobblestones, before reaching the race's highest point of 18 metres{{cite web

The route passes around the west end of the cathedral, across Paternoster Square, behind St Bartholomew's Hospital and eventually along a winding route including St. Martin's Le Grand, onto Cheapside. On the third lap, runners cross the half way mark within sight of St Mary-le-Bow and within earshot of the "Bow Bells". Leaving Cheapside, the route then goes through the heart of the city, past the offices of many of the world's best known (and lesser known) banks into the Guildhall Yard, home of the Corporation of London. From the Guildhall, the route passes the Bank of England at Bank junction and down Cornhill, passing the Royal Exchange. At the end of Cornhill, continuing onto a small portion of Leadenhall Street, a right-turn takes the runners into the covered Leadenhall Market. Competitors then make their way onto Eastcheap, via Fenchurch Street and Gracechurch Street, and on towards the Tower of London.

On Tower Hill, a short distance from the Tower's moat, the course makes a U-turn back to Lower Thames Street at the start of the return leg. Leaving Lower Thames Street, the route reaches The Monument dedicated to the Great Fire of London. After The Monument, the return leg has far fewer bends than the outward leg, as it takes the runners along the relatively straight and flat 1,600 m stretch following Cannon Street and back onto Queen Victoria Street. An S-bend takes the runners back onto the Victoria Embankment, at the far end of which are the Houses of Parliament. About 600 m before the end of the Embankment they rejoin the route taken on the first lap and pass the London Eye on the opposite side of the river. On the first lap, runners turn left onto Westminster Bridge, making a U-turn on the bridge before rejoining the main route. On the other laps, runners turn right at the end of the Embankment, and continue past Big Ben and Parliament Square and towards Buckingham Palace via Birdcage Walk on the periphery of St. James's Park. As the runners approach the palace, another right turn brings the Victoria Memorial into view. The memorial, at the south-western end of the kilometre-long Mall, brings them past the start line which, on the last circuit, is also the finish line.

The distances relative to the lap start point of various prominent landmarks passed on the route are shown in the table below:

Changes to original proposal

When London submitted its bid for the Olympic Games in 2004, the bid chairman Sebastian Coe said: "The marathon course has been designed to include as many of the city's landmarks as possible". Although the final route is different from the one proposed in the bid, it still passes many notable landmarks.

Originally the route was planned to start at Tower Bridge, run through Tower Hamlets and finish at the Olympic Stadium. It would have had a 580 m "run-in", three laps of 11.61 km circuiting central London and passing through or close to the Tower of London, the Victoria Embankment, the Palace of Westminster, Parliament Square, Westminster Abbey, Birdcage Walk, Green Park, Buckingham Palace, the Mall, Trafalgar Square, Strand, St Paul's Cathedral, and the City of London. After the final circuit, the route would then have headed east for 7.34 km, along Whitechapel Road and Mile End Road, towards the Olympic Park and a finish in the Olympic Stadium.

In September 2010 it was reported that the London Organising Committee were considering alternative routes for the 2012 Olympic Marathon as the original route would not be "television-friendly" in London's East-end.{{cite news |access-date = 27 September 2010}}{{cite news |access-date = 27 September 2010 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100929214224/http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23882243-2012-chiefs-accused-of-betrayal-after-ditching-east-end-marathon-route.do |archive-date = 29 September 2010 |url-status = dead}} After details of the new route had been published, the organisers defended their decision on grounds that the original route would have potentially disrupted other events due to road closures.{{cite news |access-date = 25 May 2012}} The changes rerouted the section between Trafalgar Square and St Paul's Cathedral from The Strand to the Victoria Embankment (past Cleopatra's Needle) which would then be bi-directional. It also removed Whitechapel Road and Tower Bridge from the route, while adding the Guildhall Yard and Leadenhall Market. The removal of The Strand from the route allows Waterloo Bridge and Blackfriars Bridge to remain open to traffic.

On 27 May 2012, less than two months before the event, The Sunday Times reported another potential logistical problem facing games organisers. In light of the size of the crowds turning out to watch the torch relay, estimates of crowd sizes for the marathon were revised and now suggest that up to 1.5 million people might turn up to watch the event. As there is only a pavement capacity of about 150,000 along the key streets of the event, contingency plans to avoid dangerous overcrowding are being considered.{{cite news

Official measurement of the course

The official measurement of the course took place at 2 a.m. on 13 June 2012. It was carried out by David Katz, a member of the IAAF Technical Committee, using a bicycle fitted with a Jones Counter. He was accompanied by two other measurers: Hugh Jones of London, who estimated he had been over the course more than 20 times in the 10 years since London first started assembling its bid, and Mike Sandford.

Compliance with international rules and testing

All international competitions in athletics, including the Olympic Games, are governed under the rules of the International Association of Athletics Federations.{{cite web |access-date = 13 June 2012}} The IAAF rules define the standard length of the marathon as 42.195 km and specifically state that the course must not be less than this distance. The rules further state that in Olympic competition the standard distance may not be exceeded by more than 0.1%. In order for a marathon performance to be ratified as a world record by the IAAF, the course must also meet other criteria that rule-out "artificially fast times" produced on courses aided by downhill slope or tailwind: the distance between start and end points when measured in a straight line should not exceed 50% of the length of the course (21.092 km in the case of the marathon); and the difference in altitude between the start and end points should be no more than 0.1% of the course length (42.19 m). World records for intermediate distances (i.e. 5 km, 10 km, 20 km, and 30 km) must meet similar requirements. The rules also state that "the distance in kilometres on the route shall be displayed to all athletes" and require that water and refreshments be provided at approximately 5 km intervals.

A successful test of the course, its technology and technical aspects, was completed in May 2011 when a test event of the full marathon distance was held. The event included thirty-nine elite athletes.

Performances on the course

The Daily Telegraph reported that runners, who took part in the test event in May 2011, said that a world record would not be set on the course due to its windy layout and the later start times, a view echoed in reports in Competitor and Runner's World magazines.{{cite web |access-date = 9 July 2012}}{{cite web |access-date = 9 July 2012

In the women's marathon that took place on Sunday 5 August 2012, Tiki Gelana of Ethiopia set a new women's marathon Olympic record of 2:23:07,{{cite web |access-date=6 August 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120806030953/http://london2012.bbc.co.uk/athletics/event/women-marathon/index.html |archive-date=6 August 2012

The winning time of 2:08:01 by Stephen Kiprotich of Uganda{{cite news |access-date=13 August 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120813105901/http://london2012.bbc.co.uk/athletics/event/men-marathon/phase%3Datm099100/index.html |archive-date=13 August 2012

The winners of the Paralympic marathon events were:{{cite web |access-date = 9 September 2012 |archive-date = 4 December 2012 |archive-url = https://archive.today/20121204153839/http://www.london2012.com/paralympics/athletics/schedule-and-results/ |url-status = dead

• T12 Men's Marathon – Alberto Suarez Laso – 2:24:50, a new world record.
• T46 Men's Marathon – Tito Sena – 2:30:40, 3:37 slower than the world record of 2:27:04 set in 2008.
• T54 Men's Marathon – David Weir – 1:30:20, 10:06 slower than the world record of 1:20:14 set in 1999.
• T54 Women's Marathon – Shirley Reilly – 1:46:33, 8:01 slower than the world record of 1:38:32 set in 2001.

Comparisons with the London Marathon course

The 2012 Olympic route differed significantly from that of the long-established annual London Marathon. Although the Olympic route shared a finish in The Mall and a section along the Victoria Embankment with the regular London Marathon course,{{cite web | access-date = 20 August 2008 |access-date=26 July 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100529201931/http://beard.standard.co.uk/2010/05/a-glimpse-of-the-london-olympic-marathon-course.html |archive-date=29 May 2010

London 2012 Paralympic Marathon comparison

The course for the Paralympic Marathon{{cite web |access-date = 1 July 2012 |archive-date = 3 July 2012 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120703231901/http://www.london2012.com/mm/Document/Documents/General/01/25/71/52/PARAMarathoncourseGTW_Neutral.pdf |url-status = dead |access-date=11 July 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120703140515/http://www.getaheadofthegames.com/documents/city-of-london-profile-revised.pdf |archive-date=3 July 2012

Previous London Olympic routes

London has hosted the Olympic Games on two previous occasions in 1908 and in 1948. The marathon route was different on both occasions and the 2012 route follows yet another route.

1908 route

Main article: Athletics at the 1908 Summer Olympics – Men's marathon

The 1908 games were originally to have been held in Rome, but in April 1906 Mount Vesuvius erupted causing damage to nearby Naples. Italy did not have the resources to stage the games and to rebuild Naples, so London was asked to stage the games.{{cite journal |access-date = 28 May 2012}} It was extended to 26 mi to avoid troublesome cobbles and tram lines, because of access restrictions at Windsor Castle and to improve visibility to the spectators, including Queen Alexandra, for the finishing stretch inside the stadium. This distance subsequently became the official length of the marathon.

1948 route

Main article: Athletics at the 1948 Summer Olympics – Men's marathon

In 1948, London hosted the first Olympic Games to be held after World War II the "austerity games". The marathon started and ended at the Wembley Stadium. It was only three years since the end of the war and London still had considerable bomb damage. Unlike the 2012 games, where the route was chosen to show off central London, the 1948 marathon was run along a route that took the runners from Wembley, through Mill Hill, the towns of Borehamwood, Elstree and Radlett and back to Wembley, thereby avoiding the bomb damage in central London.{{cite web |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200417173701/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/summer/1948/ATH/mens-marathon.html |url-status = dead |archive-date = 17 April 2020 |access-date = 28 May 2012}}{{cite news |access-date = 28 May 2012 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120328044237/http://www.borehamwoodtimes.co.uk/search/2384729.A_trip_down_marathon_lane/ |archive-date = 28 March 2012 |url-status = dead

Notes

References

References

1. Weldon, Nick. (September 2012). "Twist & Shout". Rodale, Inc..
2. "London Olympic Games 2012 Marathon Route". London Olympic Committee.
3. "Olympic marathon route takes in capital's finest sights".
4. (17 November 2004). "London Landmarks To Star in Olympic Marathon Spectacular". The London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games Limited.
5. "London 2012 Marathon Route". The London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games Limited.
6. (15 April 2005). "Marathon Stars Endorse 2012 Route". The London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games Limited.
7. Robinson, Joshua. (20 June 2012). "A Marathon of Measurements". [[The Wall Street Journal]].
8. International Association of Athletics Federations. (1 November 2009). "IAAF Competition Rules 2012–2013". International Association of Athletics Federations.
9. Magnay, Jacquelin. (30 May 2011). "London 2012 Olympics: Inspiring Marathon Course Given Thumbs Up by Athletes After Test Event". [[The Daily Telegraph]].
10. Wilcock, Bob (March 2008). "The 1908 Olympic Marathon". ''[[Journal of Olympic History]]''. Volume 16 Issue 1.
11. "Why is the Marathon 26 miles and 385 yards in length?". BBC Sport.