25 years of The London Marathon
One of my favorite gifts this Christmas was a book all about The London Marathon. The 25th running of London was in 2005 and this book was published to coincide with the April race date.
I’ve only read the first 50 pages or so, but it’s turning into one of those “can’t put me down” books.
Official Synopsis:
The book salutes 25 years of the London Marathon by exploring the incredible physical and mental challenge that lies at the very heart of marathon running. It begins with the author standing on the start line at Blackheath for the very first London Marathon in March 1981 and it ends 26 miles and 25 years later, as the author emerges, still running, past Buckingham Palace and on through the miles and memories to the finish. From the legend of Pheidippides and the mystery of Spiridon Louis - who won the first modern Olympic marathon in 1896 - to the agony of Paula Radcliffe, reduced to tears on the long road to Athens more than a century later, this is a story of dreams, pain, struggle and achievement. The courage and the craziness of the characters who for 25 years have run the streets of London, have turned this race into the greatest marathon in the world.
I’ve personally been fascinated with the mystical 26.2 mile race since my late teens, when I competed in [and completed] my first marathon - the recently resurrected Cardiff Marathon. 14 marathons later, I’m still in awe of anyone who takes the time to train and show up on race day with those 26.2 miles ahead of them.
Check out the book if you can and please feel free to leave a comment….
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