If I'm going to run this thing I might as well find out more about it. 

Well it's a marathon, so 26 miles and 385 yards of running. It's in London, and it's been going since 1981.

The Course


The course is a mostly flat (thankfully) run around London. 


It begins in Greenwich Park, circles up to the Thames and heads east. Eventually it gets to the half way point as runners cross Tower Bridge. Then the runners head west for a tour of London, before looping back round towards the Tower of London, then Westminster, and finishing on The Mall by Buckingham Palace. I'll do another post on things to see on the route another time.

Money Raised


Over the years, the London Marathon has raised over 1 billion pounds for various charities. The biggest amount raised by a single competitor was £2.32 million. This was raised by Steve Chalke for Oasis Trust.