London Marathon: 35 years of change in 26.2 miles

The founding and the growth of the London marathon reflect the modern life and times of the capital itself

Compared with what it has become, the very first London marathon was a tentative affair. It took place in 1981. Greater London’s population had reached an all-time post-war low of 6.6 million, with inner city areas particularly hit by a decades-long exodus to the suburbs and beyond. The Big Bang deregulation of financial services, which would transform the capital’s economy and its people-pulling power, was still two years away.

By today’s standards, the place was half empty. Yet the authorities kept the first marathon confined. More than 22,000 applied to take part, but the Met limited the number accepted to around 7,500. There were 6,225 finishers. American Dick Beardsley and Norwegian Inge Simonsen were first to the winning tape, breaking it hand-in-hand.

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from Health & wellbeing | The Guardian http://ift.tt/1VOIz3P
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