Yahoo! UK & Ireland Answers blog

In 1979 the former Olympic champion Chris Brasher had the dream of recreating the multi-cultural carnival atmosphere he had experienced at a festival in New York in his home city of London. The festival was not a musical or performance related celebration but rather a gathering of like-minded people running a fixed distance to raise large sums of money for charity. He was enchanted by the coming together of people of all nations and backgrounds, united under one common cause and wanted the same atmosphere to be achieved in London. The Flora London Marathon returns to the capital’s streets this Sunday, April 22nd.

“In which year was the London marathon first held?” asks Pudtiggy on Answers. Helpfully, Rooney is on hand to explain that it was on March 29th 1981 that Brasher’s dream was realised. With the help of a ₤50,000 donation from Gillette, the 7,747 runners set off on their run for charitable advantage through personal exhaustion.

Training for the 26 mile run is a rigorous and draining affair even for those that are not planning on racing through the course. Runners of all levels (and even the walkers) follow strict training plans that are implemented many weeks before the race and take in everything from specialist diets to making sure that professional equipment is used. Avoiding injury is of primary concern for all runners, as can be seen by the anxious request from Griff to the answers community: “how often do you need to change your running shoes when you are training for a marathon?” Griff was able to receive honest and reliable advice from the community that could possibly have prevented him suffering an injury.

If you’re not planning on running the race this Sunday you can still actively get involved and do your bit (without busting a gut in the process) by sponsoring people that are. There are numerous charities that are still taking sponsorship including the Yahoo! For Good charity page where you can find out more about the race and even sponsor some of the Yahoo! employees that are taking part in the Marathon.

If you live in or around the capital – or even if you don’t – you could also come down to the event and support the runners by cheering them on at most points along the London roads. You can even find out the best place to stand thanks to the Answers community, after Ruby Shoes posed the question: “where is the best place to watch the London marathon from?”

So if you’re running the marathon this year, watching from the roadside or even watching the event on the TV from the stitch-free comfort of your own home, make sure you get involved in the money raising spirit of the day. And if you’re really keen like Answers user KP, why not find out when entry for the 2008 London marathon opens. Sounds like its time to get in training already.

– Yahoo! UK & Ireland Answers team