The 2017

London Marathon The London Marathon (also known as the TCS London Marathon for sponsorship reasons) is an annual marathon held in London, England. Founded by athletes Chris Brasher and John Disley in 1981, it is typically held in April, although it moved to Oct ...

was the 37th running of the annual

marathon The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of kilometres ( 26 mi 385 yd), usually run as a road race, but the distance can be covered on trail routes. The marathon can be completed by running or with a run/walk strategy. There ...

race in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, England, which took place on Sunday, 23 April.

Mary Jepkosgei Keitany Mary Jepkosgei Keitany (born 18 January 1982) is a Kenyan former professional long distance runner. She was the world record holder in a women-only marathon, having won the 2017 London Marathon in a time of 2:17:01. As of November 2022, she ...

won the women's race, setting a new women-only

marathon world record World records in the marathon are ratified by World Athletics, the international governing body for the sport of athletics. The late Kenyan athlete Kelvin Kiptum set a men's world record time of 2:00:35 on October 8, 2023, at the 2023 Chicag ...

with a time of 2:17:01, while

Daniel Wanjiru Daniel Kinyua Wanjiru (born 26 May 1992) is a former Kenyan long-distance runner. He won both the 2016 Amsterdam Marathon and the 2017 London Marathon. His personal best time for the marathon is 2:05:21, set in Amsterdam in 2016. Wanjiru serv ...

came first in the men's race in 2:05:48. David Weir claimed a record breaking seventh win at the London Marathon in the men's wheelchair event. The win broke a tie between Weir and Tanni Gray Thompson for the most wins at the London Marathon. Around 253,930 people applied to enter the race: 53,229 had their applications accepted and 40,048 started the race. These were all record highs for the race. A total of 39,406 runners, 23,912 men and 15,494 women, finished the race. In the under-17 Mini Marathon, the 3-mile able-bodied and wheelchair events were won by Toby Osman (14:25), Erin Wallace (16:09), Jack Agnew (11:39) and

Kare Adenegan Karé Adenegan (born 29 December 2000) is a British wheelchair athlete specialising in sprint distances in the T34 classification. She was classified as a disability athlete in 2013. Competing for Great Britain at the 2016 Summer Paraly ...

(12:51).

Course

The

is run over a largely flat course around the

River Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the The Isis, River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, s ...

, and spans 26 miles and 385 yards (42.195 kilometres). The route has markers at one mile and five kilometre intervals. The course begins at three separate points: the 'red start' in southern

Greenwich Park Greenwich Park is a former hunting park in Greenwich and one of the largest single green spaces in south-east London. One of the eight Royal Parks of London, and the first to be enclosed (in 1433), it covers , and is part of the Greenwich World H ...

on Charlton Way, the 'green start' in St John's Park, and the 'blue start' on Shooter's Hill Road. From these points around Blackheath at above sea level, south of the River Thames, the route heads east through Charlton. The three courses converge after in

Woolwich Woolwich () is a town in South London, southeast London, England, within the Royal Borough of Greenwich. The district's location on the River Thames led to its status as an important naval, military and industrial area; a role that was mainta ...

, close to the

Royal Artillery Barracks Royal Artillery Barracks, Woolwich, is a barracks of the British Army which forms part of Woolwich Garrison. The Royal Regiment of Artillery had its headquarters here from 1776 until 2007, when it was moved to Larkhill Garrison. History In 171 ...

. As the runners reach the , they pass by the

Old Royal Naval College The Old Royal Naval College are buildings that serve as the architectural centrepiece of Maritime Greenwich, a World Heritage Site in Greenwich, London, described by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) ...

and head towards ''

Cutty Sark ''Cutty Sark'' is a British clipper ship. Built on the River Leven, Dumbarton, Scotland in 1869 for the Jock Willis Shipping Line, she was one of the last tea clippers to be built and one of the fastest, at the end of a long period of desig ...

drydock A dry dock (sometimes drydock or dry-dock) is a narrow basin or vessel that can be flooded to allow a load to be floated in, then drained to allow that load to come to rest on a dry platform. Dry docks are used for the construction, maintenance, ...

ed in

Greenwich Greenwich ( , , ) is an List of areas of London, area in south-east London, England, within the Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county of Greater London, east-south-east of Charing Cross. Greenwich is notable for its maritime hi ...

. Heading next into

Deptford Deptford is an area on the south bank of the River Thames in southeast London, in the Royal Borough of Greenwich and London Borough of Lewisham. It is named after a Ford (crossing), ford of the River Ravensbourne. From the mid 16th century ...

and

Surrey Quays Surrey Quays is a largely residential area of Rotherhithe in south-east London, occupied until 1970 by the Surrey Commercial Docks. The precise boundaries of the area are somewhat amorphous, but it is generally considered to comprise the southe ...

in the Docklands, and out towards

Bermondsey Bermondsey ( ) is a district in southeast London, part of the London Borough of Southwark, England, southeast of Charing Cross. To the west of Bermondsey lies Southwark, to the east Rotherhithe and Deptford, to the south Walworth and Peckham, ...

, competitors race along

Jamaica Road The A200 is an A roads in Great Britain, A road in London running from London Bridge to Greenwich. Cycleway 4 will follow most of the A200 road. Route Tooley Street The name derives from St Olave's Street, after the Church of Olaf II of ...

before reaching the half-way point as they cross

Tower Bridge Tower Bridge is a Listed building#Grade I, Grade I listed combined Bascule bridge, bascule, Suspension bridge, suspension, and, until 1960, Cantilever bridge, cantilever bridge in London, built between 1886 and 1894, designed by Horace Jones ...

. Running east again along The Highway through

Wapping Wapping () is an area in the borough of Tower Hamlets in London, England. It is in East London and part of the East End. Wapping is on the north bank of the River Thames between Tower Bridge to the west, and Shadwell to the east. This posit ...

, competitors head up towards

Limehouse Limehouse is a district in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets in East London. It is east of Charing Cross, on the northern bank of the River Thames. Its proximity to the river has given it a strong maritime character, which it retains throu ...

and into Mudchute in the

Isle of Dogs The Isle of Dogs is a large peninsula bounded on three sides by a large meander in the River Thames in East London, England. It includes the Cubitt Town, Millwall and Canary Wharf districts. The area was historically part of the Manor, Haml ...

via Westferry Road, before heading into

Canary Wharf Canary Wharf is a financial area of London, England, located in the Isle of Dogs in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. The Greater London Authority defines it as part of London's central business district, alongside Central London. Alongside ...

. As the route leads away from Canary Wharf into Poplar, competitors run west down Poplar High Street back towards Limehouse and on through

Commercial Road Commercial Road is a street in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets in the East End of London. It is long, running from Gardiner's Corner (previously the site of Gardiners department store, and now Aldgate East Underground station), throug ...

. They then move back onto The Highway, onto Lower and Upper Thames Streets. Heading into the final leg of the race, competitors pass The Tower of London on Tower Hill. In the penultimate mile along The Embankment, the

London Eye The London Eye, originally the Millennium Wheel, is a cantilevered observation wheel on the South Bank of the River Thames in London. It is the world's tallest cantilevered observation wheel, and the most popular paid Tourist attractions in the ...

comes into view, before the athletes turn right into

Birdcage Walk Birdcage Walk is a street in the City of Westminster in London. It runs east–west as a continuation of Great George Street, from the crossroads with Horse Guards Road and Storey's Gate, with the Treasury building and the Institution of Me ...

to complete the final , catching the sights of

Big Ben Big Ben is the nickname for the Great Bell of the Great Clock of Westminster, and, by extension, for the clock tower itself, which stands at the north end of the Palace of Westminster in London, England. Originally named the Clock Tower, it ...

and

Buckingham Palace Buckingham Palace () is a royal official residence, residence in London, and the administrative headquarters of the monarch of the United Kingdom. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is often at the centre of state occasions and r ...

, and finishing in The Mall alongside

St. James's Palace St James's Palace is the most senior royal palace in London, England. The palace gives its name to the Court of St James's, which is the monarch's royal court, and is located in the City of Westminster. Although no longer the principal residence ...

Race summary

In the women's race, Keitany was rarely threatened. She broke away from the field after the first mile and maintained a comfortable lead until the end of the race. Her final time was the second fastest in history, and the fastest set without the help of male pacemakers, beating

Paula Radcliffe Paula Jane Radcliffe Order of the British Empire, MBE (born 17 December 1973) is a British former long-distance runner. She is a three-time winner of the London Marathon (2002, 2003, 2005), three-time New York Marathon champion (2004, 2007, 200 ...

's record of 2:17:42 set in the 2005 race. The overall women's record, 2:15:25, was also set by Radcliffe in the 2003 race. The men's race was largely contested between Kenya's Wanjiru and Ethiopia's

Kenenisa Bekele Kenenisa Bekele Beyecha (; ; born 13 June 1982) is an Ethiopian Long-distance running, long-distance runner. He was the world record holder in both the 5000 metres, 5,000-metre and 10000 metres, 10,000-metre from 2004 until 2020. He won the go ...

. Bekele led until approximately halfway through the race, when he dropped back sharply. Wanjiru stayed with a lead pack of

Bedan Karoki Bedan Karoki Muchiri (born 21 August 1990) is a Kenyan professional long distance runner who competes in track, cross country and road running disciplines. He represented Kenya at the 2012 and 2016 Summer Olympics. He was a silver medallist a ...

Abel Kirui Abel Kirui (born 6 April 1982) is a long-distance runner from Kenya who competes in marathons. He had back-to-back wins in the World Championship marathon in 2009 and 2011. Kirui won in 2009 with a time of 2:06:54, then defended his title with a ...

and

Feyisa Lilesa Feyisa Lilesa ( Afaan Oromo: Fayyisaa Leellisaa; born 1 February 1990) is an Ethiopian long-distance runner. He became the youngest man to run under 2:06 when he ran 2:05:23 in the men's marathon at the 2010 Rotterdam Marathon. He set his perso ...

until 21 miles before making a break. However, Bekele was not finished and rapidly accelerated through the field, closing the gap to eight seconds with less than a mile left. Wanjiru however found the strength to hold Bekele off, eventually winning by nine seconds. There was also a surprise when a club runner, Josh Griffiths, who did not start with the elite athletes, finished in 2:14:49, a time which would have given him 13th place in the elite field. He qualified for the

World Championships A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game ...

with this time. Matthew Rees helped an exhausted fellow runner, David Wyeth, across the finish line, an occurrence widely mentioned in social and traditional media. The men's wheelchair race saw David Weir claim a record breaking seventh win at the London Marathon when he out sprinted

Marcel Hug Marcel Eric Hug (; born 16 January 1986) is a Paralympic Games, Paralympic Track and field, athlete from Switzerland competing in category T54 (classification), T54 wheelchair racing events. Hug, nicknamed 'The Silver Bullet', has competed in fo ...

and Rafael Botello.

Manuela Schär Manuela Schär (born December 5, 1984) is a paralympic athlete from Switzerland, competing mainly in category T54 sprint events. She has used a wheelchair since the age of 8, when a playground accident paralyzed her from the waist down. Ca ...

won her first title in London, finishing almost 5 minutes ahead of her nearest rival.

Results

Men

Women

Wheelchair men

Wheelchair women

References

;Results
Virgin Money London Marathon 2017 Tracking and Results
London Marathon. Retrieved 2020-05-03.
Men Results

Association of Road Racing Statisticians The Association of Road Racing Statisticians is an independent, non-profit organization that collects, analyzes, and publishes statistics regarding road running races. The primary purpose of the ARRS is to maintain a valid list of world road record ...

. Retrieved 2020-05-03.
Women Results

. Retrieved 2020-05-03.

External links

* {{Footer London Marathon Champions Wheelchair Women

2017 2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly. Events January * January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the ...

April 2017 sports events in the United Kingdom