ON March 29, 1981, a mass gathering of runners waited at Shooters Hill to start a 26.2-mile race around London. Shivering in the cold Sunday sun, about 7,500 eager athletes were about to step out on a marathon event that has since raised hundreds of millions of pounds for charity and encouraged generations to run.
The first marathon to be held in London had actually taken place in 1908, as part of the Olympic Games, but this new race was different because it would eventually see elite athletes from around the world compete on the same course as amateurs, fun runners, and people dressed in every conceivable style of fancy dress.
Organizers had secured £50,000 in sponsorship from Gillette for the 1981 race and public enthusiasm for the event was such that more than 20,000 people applied for an entry number. Best of all, the race was beamed live into the homes of millions on the BBC. ‘The race is now far more than merely a marathon. It brings society together in a moment of celebration of all that is good about humanity,’ says Hugh Brasher, event director of London Marathon Events and the son of one of the founders. His father, Chris, was a journalist, an Olympic 3,000-metre runner, and a pacemaker for Roger Bannister’s first sub-four-minute mile run in 1954. He took part in the New York City Marathon in 1979 and, after writing a speculative feature on whether London could host such a spectacle, met fellow athlete John Disley in the Dysart Arms in Petersham, Surrey. Over a pint, the pair hatched a plan to bring a Big Apple-style run to Britain.
この記事は Country Life UK の February 03, 2021 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です ? サインイン
この記事は Country Life UK の February 03, 2021 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です? サインイン
Kitchen garden cook - Apples
'Sweet and crisp, apples are the epitome of autumn flavour'
The original Mr Rochester
Three classic houses in North Yorkshire have come to the market; the owner of one inspired Charlotte Brontë to write Jane Eyre
Get it write
Desks, once akin to instruments of torture for scribes, have become cherished repositories of memories and secrets. Matthew Dennison charts their evolution
'Sloes hath ben my food'
A possible paint for the Picts and a definite culprit in tea fraud, the cheek-suckingly sour sloe's spiritual home is indisputably in gin, says John Wright
Souvenirs of greatness
FOR many years, some large boxes have been stored and forgotten in the dark recesses of the garage. Unpacked last week, the contents turned out to be pots: some, perhaps, nearing a century old—dense terracotta, of interesting provenance.
Plants for plants' sake
The garden at Hergest Croft, Herefordshire The home of Edward Banks The Banks family is synonymous with an extraordinary collection of trees and shrubs, many of which are presents from distinguished friends, garnered over two centuries. Be prepared to be amazed, says Charles Quest-Ritson
Capturing the castle
Seventy years after Christian Dior’s last fashion show in Scotland, the brand returned under creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri for a celebratory event honouring local craftsmanship, the beauty of the land and the Auld Alliance, explains Kim Parker
Nature's own cathedral
Our tallest native tree 'most lovely of all', the stately beech creates a shaded environment that few plants can survive. John Lewis-Stempel ventures into the enchanted woods
All that money could buy
A new book explores the lost riches of London's grand houses. Its author, Steven Brindle, looks at the residences of plutocrats built by the nouveaux riches of the late-Victorian and Edwardian ages
In with the old
Diamonds are meant to sparkle in candlelight, but many now gather dust in jewellery boxes. To wear them today, we may need to reimagine them, as Hetty Lintell discovers with her grandmother's jewellery
