Press Release - London Marathon - 3/23/18

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

          Her Majesty The Queen to start the 2018 London Marathon 
                             from Windsor Castle

23/03/2018

Her Majesty The Queen will be the official starter for the 2018 London 
Marathon.

On Sunday 22 April, The Queen will step onto a special podium in front of 
the Round Tower in the grounds of Windsor Castle to push the start button 
at 10:00 am.

BBC Sport will relay live coverage of the start ceremony to the big screens 
at Blackheath to set off 40,000 runners on the famous 26.2 miles from 
Blackheath to The Mall.

"We are deeply honoured that Her Majesty The Queen has accepted the 
invitation to start the 2018 London Marathon," said Sir John Spurling, 
Chairman of London Marathon Events Ltd, organisers of the race. "Especially 
as this will happen 110 years after the 1908 Olympic Marathon was started 
at Windsor Castle by the then Princess Mary, grandmother to The Queen."

The 1908 marathon, the showpiece finale of the Olympic Games, was the first 
marathon to be held over the classic 26.2 mile distance. Opinions differ on 
why this distance was chosen, with historians suggesting the extra 385 
yards were included either to finish the race in front of the Royal Box at 
the White City stadium, or to start the race in front of the Royal nursery 
at Windsor.

Princess Mary (later Queen Mary) set the runners on their way from Windsor 
Castle. Dorando Pietri (Italy) was the first to cross the line in the White 
City Stadium but was subsequently disqualified as, exhausted, he had been 
helped across the finish by two officials. The following day Queen 
Alexandra, who had watched the finish, presented Pietri with a gilded 
silver trophy to mark his achievement.

The Pietri Trophy will be on display at the Virgin Money London Marathon 
Expo at ExCeL from 18 - 21 April.

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