London Marathon is one of the world’s largest annual marathons . The race is run over a mostly flat course alongside the River Thames in central London. The race begins at three different points. The courses come together after 2.8 miles (4.5 kilometers). The race ends in The Mall next to St. James Park. The marathon is held annually in April. Thousands of amateur and professional runners compete every year, and hundreds of thousands of spectators line the race route of 26 miles 385 yards (42.2 kilometers).
Each year, many more runners apply to enter the marathon than the race can accommodate. Entrants are selected in several categories. The largest categories include applicants from the United Kingdom selected by lottery and applicants representing charities based in the United Kingdom. Some acceptances are reserved for runners from other countries and highly qualified runners. Male and female athletes must be at least 18 years old to be eligible. The entrants are divided into eight age categories, from 18- through 39-year-olds to 70-year-olds and older. The same categories apply to both men and women runners. There also is a category for wheelchair athletes.
The first London Marathon was held in 1981, inspired by the success of the New York City Marathon. A number of business sponsors support the London Marathon. The event has raised hundreds of millions of pounds (the monetary unit of the United Kingdom) for charity since the first race.
In 2006, the organizers of the Berlin , Boston , Chicago , London , and New York City marathons joined to create the World Marathon Majors. Tokyo joined as the sixth major in 2013. In addition to prize money awarded for the individual marathons, runners compete for an annual $1-million prize. The prize is based on points runners earn for their performance in a major plus the World Championship marathon and the Olympic Games marathon, when held.
See also Marathon .
