London Marathon to honour murdered Stephen Lawrence at the 18-mile mark
STEPHEN Lawrence will be honoured with a special message at Sunday’s London Marathon.
The 18-year-old, an aspiring architect, was killed in an unprovoked racist attack in April 1993 in Eltham, South East London.
Athletics bosses will show a series of video animations on a big screen close to Buckingham Palace at the Mile-18 marker of the 40th staging of the London Marathon.
There will be three elite races held on the 2.15-km closed-looped course at St James’s Park.
Lawrence was a talented runner and competed in the Mini London Marathon aged 14.
Event director Hugh Brasher said: “We have had a partnership since 2018 with the Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust to raise funds for them. But also to show the power of Stephen’s life and what he stood for.
“At Mile 18 we will be celebrating the life that Steve would have led, the message he has left and how important it is in the world that we currently live in.
“We’re very proud of that partnership and we hope it will really be articulated on the day at Mile 18 in all of the three races.
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“It is so important to listen, to try and understand the journey that black individuals and black communities are experiencing.
“Stephen’s message, as you will see on the day, we think is really empowering.”
The mass participation event has been cancelled and replaced by a virtual marathon in which 45,000 runners in 109 countries will perform their own 26.2-mile challenges.
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