VIRGIN MONEY GIVING LONDON MARATHON
ADIDAS WOMEN'S LONDON MARATHON
An event for thousands of people who run a 26.2-mile course for self-satisfaction and charity.
This year marks the 31st event. Almost half a million people have run this 26.2-mile course. This is a renowned event all over the globe.
1981
Biggest marathon held in London with a limit of 7,000 runners. Thirteen thousand applicant's were denied entry. American Dick Beardsley and Inge Simonsen finished holding hands in 2:11:48. Joyce Smith won the women's race, beating the British record 2:30, while coming in at 2:29:57.
1982
Londoner, Hugh Jones held the lead throughout the entire race to finish with a personal best by 77 seconds. This led to his ninth place ranking in the world all-time list. 2:09:24 remained his personal best. Joyce Smith lowered her personal best to 2:29:43. She held a winning margin by six minutes. London was now the biggest marathon in the world, over the New York City Marathon with its 15,758 finishers.
1983
Mike Gratton withstood the pressure of Gerry Helme to win the
marathon in 2:09:43. Grete Waitz won easily in 2:25:29, this
world best lasted less than 24 hours.
1984
Olympic year - Charlie Spedding was able to pull past two Tanzanians to develop a huge lead. Passing two miles, Spedding caught Ingrid Kristiansen after a ten-minute lead on the men. Spedding took the bronze that year. Kristiansen's winning in 2:24:26, a European record.
1985
Steve Jones had won the 1984 (post-Olympic) Chicago event in a world best, 2:08:05. He competed against bronze medalist, Charlie Spedding. By the 20 mile mark the pack had dwindled to Jones and Spedding. Jones won the race in 2:08:16 and remained the course record until 1997. Spedding was second and remains the present English record at 2:08:33. Ingrid Kristiansen proved to have benefited from running with men. She finished the race in a quick 2:21:06, which held the record till 1998.
1986
Toshihko Seko finished in 2:10:02. Grete Waitz finished in 2:24:54, a lifetime best - winning by six minutes.
1987
Hiromi Taniguchi broke clear of the pack and won in 2:09:50. Ingrid Kristiansen followed with her third London title in 2:22:48.
1988
Henrik Jorgensen, Denmark runner beat out all the Britons for an Olympic team spot. Belayneh Densimo from Ethiopia ran the world best that day also in 2:06:50. Ingrid Kristiansen seized her fourth triumph in the woman's race in 2:25:41.
1989
Kenyan, Douglas Wakiihuri took the title in the Seoul Olympics. Britain woman runner, Veronique Marot, set a UK record 2:2:56, to set the biggest win her career.
1990
Scotland's Allister Hutton won in 2:10:10, his first marathon victory. Olympic champion Rosa Mota made a brief appearance running half the marathon for charity. Poland's Wanda Panfil, 2nd in 1989, won the race with a personal best in 2:26:31.
1991
London hosted IAAF/ADT World Marathon Cup, Soviet Yakov Tolstikov won in 2:09:17, a personal best. Team title went to Great Britain. Rosa Mota, reigning Olympic and world champion, won in 2:26:14. Soviet Union won the women's team title
1992
Antonio Pinto, Portugal's former racing cyclist, won in 2:10:02. Poland's Jan Huruk made a burst and finished second. Rosa Mota dropped out of the race with stomach problems. Germany's Katrin Dorre took the win in 2:29:39.
1993
Germany's reigning champion, Katrin Dorre took the race in 2:27:09. Eamonn Martin, from Basildon, was England's first winner since 1984, finishing in 2:10:50, while earlier that day he became a father.
1994
Dionicio Ceron of Mexico won in 2:08: 53. Katrin Dorre won for her third successive year in 2:32:34, but this became the slowest winning time in the history of London.
1995
Dionicio Ceron maintained his title, winning in 2:08:30, after passing Antonio Pinto of Portugal after being behind by a minute with five miles to go. Ceron finished with London's second fastest time ever. Malgorzata Sobansa of Poland was unable to seize the title.
1996
This year staged the hottest London Marathon ever, the first thirteen miles was close to world record pace. Dionicio Ceron caught and passed the 19 year old Kenyan, Jackson Kabiba, to finish with Mexico's third win.
1997
This race was close as Joyce Chepchumba (Kenya) and Lidia Simon (Romania) were running side-by-side, they passed Krolik. McColgan nearly pulled up to Chepchumba, but Chepchumba finished one second ahead. Antonio Pinto came from behind to surpass the 12 year record of Steve Jones and snatched the victory from Italy's Stefano Baldini.
1998
Ireland's Catherina McKiernan and Abel Anton time their runs to perfection. McKiernan snatched the victory in 2:26:26. Anton won the title in 2:07:57, two seconds behind Pinto's record.
1999
Abdelkader El Mouaziz won in 2:07:57. Joyce Chepchumba rewarded for course recorded and beating the world's best recognised by the Flora London Marathon.
2000
Antonio Pinto demolished his own course record and Carlos Lopes' European record to win in 2:06:36. Tegla Loroupe won by a margin of 13 seconds in 2:24:33.