Why is the London Marathon 26.2 miles long?
THERE is a reason as to why the London Marathon is 26.2 miles long.
The event is held in England‘s capital every year and will next take place on April 21.
The London Marathon is the second-largest annual road race in the UK after the Great North Run in Newcastle.
There are a huge 50,000 runners that take part in the event every year.
The distance for the race is related to ancient Greek mythology, the Olympics and the British Royal Family.
Marathons have ancient roots dating back to 776 B.C. when it was inspired by a messenger who raced from the site of Marathon to Athens.
The messenger was carrying news of a Greek victory over an invading Persian army in 490 B.C.
They ran a distance of 40km (24.8miles), and upon their arrival, they collapsed and died.
To commemorate the run, the distance was set at 40km at the 1896 Olympic Games in Athens.
However, the distance was extended in the 1908 Games in London to 26.2miles.
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It is alleged that the change was made to accommodate the British royal family.
Queen Alexandra, the wife of then-reigning monarch Edward VII, is believed to have requested the change.
It is claimed that she wanted the race to start on the lawns of Windsor Castle so the royal children could watc from their windows.
It is also reported that she asked for the race to end in front of the Royal Box at the White City Stadium.
The new distance happened to be 26.2miles, and in 1921, it became the standardised length of the race.
The event this year will start in Greenwich Park in south-east London and finish outside of Buckingham Palace.
Runners will pass famous landmarks such as Tower Bridge, Canary Wharf, the Tower of London, the London Eye and Big Ben.
The London Marathon has been contested by men and women since 1981.
The last English male winner was in 1993 as Eamonn Martin claimed 1st place with a time of 2 hours 10 minutes and 50 seconds.
Paula Radcliffe was the last English winner in the women’s race in 2005, she won the event three times.
Last year’s event was won by runner Kelvin Kiptum, who set a course record.
The Kenyan completed the race in an incredible 2 hours 1 minute and 25 seconds.
This year’s race will start at 9.40am with gradual intervals until 11am to allow the course ahead to clear.