The first London Marathon
Chris Brasher and John Disley run the race Brasher had conceived after New York in 1979. About 20,000 people apply, 7,747 are accepted and 6,255 finish. Dick Beardsley and Inge Simonsen cross the line together in a deliberate dead heat on Constitution Hill. The race is a copy of a model, made on purpose, and it becomes the template for the charity-fundraising marathon.
Historical — it happened, and the record is settled.
Subjects
- London Marathon · route · United Kingdom
- Chris Brasher · person · United Kingdom · not located
- The mass-participation city marathon · cultural practice · not located
- London · city · United Kingdom
Evidence
Partly verified — Core facts are sourced; some optional detail is deliberately absent.
History of the London Marathon — In the Beginning
The London Marathon was founded by Chris Brasher and John Disley after Brasher ran New York in 1979; the first race on 29 March 1981 accepted 7,747 of about 20,000 applicants, had 6,255 finishers, and ended in a dead heat between Dick Beardsley and Inge Simonsen. V55 verification basis: read through an attributed search summary. Note that the URL carries a former sponsor name and may redirect; a curator should replace it with the current organiser URL.
London Marathon Events · Partly verified
https://www.virginmoneylondonmarathon.com/news-media/media-resources/history-london-marathon/in-the-beginning/
Recorded on London Marathon
- Tea first shipped to Europe by sea
- Boston Tea Party
- Commutation Act cuts British tea duty
- First Assam tea auctioned in London
- The Great Exhibition
- The 1908 Olympic marathon fixes 26 miles 385 yards
- New York goes to five boroughs
- The first London Marathon
- The World Marathon Majors series is announced
- The first Tokyo Marathon
- Bombings at the Boston Marathon finish line
- Tigst Assefa sets a women-only world record in London
- The first sub-two-hour marathon in a record-eligible race
Related
Related because they share a subject in the Atlas — never because the text looks similar.
- The first sub-two-hour marathon in a record-eligible race · 2026-04-26
- Tigst Assefa sets a women-only world record in London · 2025
- Bombings at the Boston Marathon finish line · 2013-04-15
- The first Tokyo Marathon · 2007-02-18
- The World Marathon Majors series is announced · 2006-01-23
- New York goes to five boroughs · 1976
- The 1908 Olympic marathon fixes 26 miles 385 yards · 1908-07-24
- The Great Exhibition · 1 May – October 1851