2012 Olympic Marathon Route Dispute

By · September 29, 2010 at 9:47 am · 8 Comments · Latest News · Report an error ·

marathonmall.jpg
By Sinister Pictures

Seb Coe has hit back against critics who say plans to route the 2012 Marathon to the Mall rather than the Olympic Park show shame or embarrassment about the East End. He explains LOCOG’s proposals are about logistical merits, meshing the marathon with a matrix of World Championship events across the capital requiring intricate coordination. Newham’s lobbying for a historically interesting East Ender route through Aldgate, Whitechapel, Stepney, Bow and Stratford. But honestly, Londoners, for the one, free to view public event of the London 2012 Games, wouldn’t you rather be lining the Mall? A decision is due in October.

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  • http://undefined Simon

    “The one, free to view public event of the London 2012 Games.”

    Not quite – men’s and women’s cycling road race and individual time trial, two walking events for men and one for women, I suspect both triathlons will also be free to watch, not London but you also have sailing off Weymouth.

    • Lindsey

      Good point Simon, thanks. Triathlons in Hyde Park might be popular – imagine the crucial bits will be ticketed, though? Road Cycling apparently based at Regents Park and walking around Olympic Stadium. Can’t beat the marathon for flagship public event, though.

  • http://undefined Joe Dunckley

    it’s a marathon. isn’t it long enough to take in both sites? or is the plan that they run backwards and forwards along the mall ’till their pedometer says 26 miles?

  • http://undefined Ben P

    Lindsey,
    The Olympics was won on the legacy of regenerating the East End of London.. £22M has been fundraised to spend in Tower Hamlets and Newham alone on the back of the Olympic marathon- (see High Street 2012) and this is the last free event taking place in these boroughs (LOCOG having already removed the walk and the basketball).. its not just a case of changing something as and when you like to suit TV companies and give you a nice view. Please do your research- People’s livelihoods are at stake here.

  • http://undefined diamond geezer

    Please, the original 2012 marathon route featured 22 miles of central London, and passed down The Mall three times. Londoners who wanted to cheer the runners from the centre of town could happily have done so in the original plans.

    This isn’t a move into central London, it’s a desertion of the East End.

  • http://undefined mu

    Strong disagreement. How crowded is the Mall/St James’ Park gonna get if the marathon doesn’t just run round it 3 times, but finishes there as well?!

  • http://undefined Kelvin

    It’s the Olympic marathon and Olympic marathons should finish in the Olympic stadium, unless there is some historic significant reason to finish elsewhere, like in the Athens Olympics.

    Logistics is a shit reason. Why not start in the Mall, run the London Marathon route backwards, and then dog-leg up to Stratford for the finish?

  • Nonetale

    Agree totally, am also disappointed as the very essence of an olympic marathon is that, in most cases (Athens excepted) it finishes with a lap of the olympic stadium. For me that is one of the highlights of the games. As with the others above, I don’t think it was changed for additional shots of West London rather I think it was unease against going through the streets of East London together with a perceived lack of control with runners through these areas. (I was at Stratford to watch the Chinese torch relay… but it came through on a bus!!!).

    I also think the Olympic site doesn’t really feel like an extension of East London – rather it seems like a corporate (read West London) enclave that happens to be near Stratford. Of course the organisers are paranoid about security, rightly so – but it still feels a bit alien. It will be interesting to see how integrated the site becomes with East London proper after the games. The original plan was to be able to lock off access to Stratford in the evenings(!) That was quickly and quietly shelved – nonetheless the site is very much self contained so I suspect it’ll feel more like Canary Wharf than East London for some time to come.

    Don’t get me wrong – I think the olympics in London are fantastic and have provided some lovely buildings and general sporting enthusiasm. But I still think East Londoners are treated a little bit condescendingly by the organisers who still don’t really appreciate that much of the vitality, creativity and rawness of London are to be found in the east. And moreover (and recently compounded by the riots) they have little real trust in the diversity of people in this area. But if no trust is given, no trust is reciprocated…

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