The 2021 London Marathon has within the past thirty minutes or so just got under way. It is the first London Marathon for ordinary, non-elite runners since 2019 and I gather some 40,000 will be competing. The event has been postponed by six months this year, because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Looking back over my own marathon running years, the event usually held in April, often coincided with tragedies in the world. The most memorable tragedy which I can recall at this time, were the bombs planted on the Boston Marathon route which tragically killed three people and injured many others. That hideous action is particularly memorable as it took place on April 13th 2013, the day before that year's London Marathon. As a result many London Marathon runners wore black arm bands as signs of respect and solidarity.
In an earlier London Marathon then I recall sponsored by Flora, the vests of some Japanese runners were emblazoned with the words Pray for Japan as the Fukushima nuclear power station disaster had only then just occurred.
Each of the six London marathons I ran were full of incident and accident but were always very fulfilling. The starting place for five of them was in Greenwich Park with the sixth on Blackheath. The weather was atrocious at that time but sheltering in a nearby pub and watching the elite runners (whose race started 30 minutes earlier) was an ideal way to await the start..
Still my best time of 4 hours 15 minutes (or so) barely reached that of my late father James Hawthorne. In dad's day Gillette was sponsor, fewer people ran and there were hardly any crowds though he was offered and accepted a beer, by a well wisher enroute.
Hopefully each and every competitor today will eventually after recovery, be happy with their achievement.
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