The hard miles to success — the story of the evolution of the London Marathon

In his latest blog, Communications Officer, David Callan takes a look at the growth and success of the London Marathon which celebrates its 35th year on 26 April.

This year’s Virgin Money London Marathon, which takes place this weekend, is set to be the biggest yet.

While the distance of 26.2 miles obviously hasn’t changed since the first marathon back in 1981, the event itself is one of the great mass participation success stories and has grown exponentially in terms of applicants, runners, support staff and many other areas that go into hosting an event of such a scale.

Some of the more interesting stats from the day include the distribution of around 750,000 bottles of water, 2,000 plasters (which doesn’t seem enough) and 116,000 metres worth of barrier tape. But let’s look at how things have changed since 1981.

The first London Marathon was started by 7,055 runners and completed by 6,225. By contrast, last year’s marathon was started by 36,337 and completed by 35,868 and those numbers look set to be eclipsed this year as a record number of 51,696 applicants have been accepted to start.

The diversity of runners has also increased over the years. Only five percent of runners in 1981 were women and there was no wheelchair athlete race at all. This year’s marathon will see women making up 37 percent of runners, while the wheelchair athlete field will see over 70 athletes compete.

One of the factors that drives people on to the finish line is the knowledge that they are raising money for charity (read about the efforts of our Head of Policy here). Since the first London Marathon, £716 million has been raised for good causes, making the marathon the largest single annual fund-raising event in the world.

But the runners are not the only ones who use the marathon to raise money and help good causes. The London Marathon Charitable Trust, which owns the company that organises the London Marathon, provides grants to organisations and communities for creative projects that help more people take part in physical activities.

The Trust was created in 1981 alongside the marathon itself to date £56.4 million in funding has been distributed to over 1,000 projects in London and beyond. Some of the more notable contributions from the fund include the purchase of nine public sports facilities.

It’s safe to say that the London Marathon has come a long way in 35 years and it strikes me as being a win/win situation for all concerned. Whether it’s the elite athlete looking for individual glory, the have-a-go hero running for a special cause, the supporting organisations who benefit from the exposure such a high-profile event provides (the marathon is broadcast in 196 countries) or the work of the Trust behind the scenes, those 26.2 miles go a long, long way to providing a platform for all to achieve great things. As a model for a sports event, it’s a pretty special example.

Read more from David

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