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| How does the London Marathon compare to other races worldwide? | How does the London Marathon compare to other races worldwide? |
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| This Sunday tens of thousands of people will attempt to complete the 2013 London Marathon, undoubtedly the UK's most famous running race. But with a total of 37,000 runners, the London Marathon is only the fifth biggest 26.2-mile race in the world. | |
| The biggest by far is in New York, where a world record was set when 46,759 people completed the New York City Marathon in 2011. Last year's race was cancelled in the wake of Hurricane Sandy despite Governor Michael Bloomberg's initial controversial claims that it would go ahead. | The biggest by far is in New York, where a world record was set when 46,759 people completed the New York City Marathon in 2011. Last year's race was cancelled in the wake of Hurricane Sandy despite Governor Michael Bloomberg's initial controversial claims that it would go ahead. |
| The London Marathon seems even smaller when looking at the number of people taking part compared to the capital's population. Just under five runners take part for every thousand London resident. | The London Marathon seems even smaller when looking at the number of people taking part compared to the capital's population. Just under five runners take part for every thousand London resident. |
| Factoring in Ibusuki's population size of 15,785, the Ibusuki Nanohana Marathon in Japan is far and ahead the biggest in the world - 410 people take part for every thousand resident of Ibusuki. The 18,000-runner marathon, which began in 1984, was originally called the Ibusuki Onsen Marathon after the famous hot springs in the east of the town. | Factoring in Ibusuki's population size of 15,785, the Ibusuki Nanohana Marathon in Japan is far and ahead the biggest in the world - 410 people take part for every thousand resident of Ibusuki. The 18,000-runner marathon, which began in 1984, was originally called the Ibusuki Onsen Marathon after the famous hot springs in the east of the town. |
| To get our population sizes we used the urban area measurement of each city. Where we have not been able to find the number of race participants we have either used the maximum number of racers allowed or the number of finishers instead. | To get our population sizes we used the urban area measurement of each city. Where we have not been able to find the number of race participants we have either used the maximum number of racers allowed or the number of finishers instead. |
| The chart below shows marathons across the world by the number of participants, finishers and participants for every thousand people. Use the drop down menu to select the indicator you'd like to view. | The chart below shows marathons across the world by the number of participants, finishers and participants for every thousand people. Use the drop down menu to select the indicator you'd like to view. |
| The London Marathon was founded in 1981 by former Olympian Chris Brasher and Welsh athlete John Disley. It was created in the same period as most of Europe's mega marathons between the mid-1970s and early 1980s. | The London Marathon was founded in 1981 by former Olympian Chris Brasher and Welsh athlete John Disley. It was created in the same period as most of Europe's mega marathons between the mid-1970s and early 1980s. |
| The London Marathon is one of six marathons that form the World Marathon Majors series, along with Boston and four others. | The London Marathon is one of six marathons that form the World Marathon Majors series, along with Boston and four others. |
| The US was much quicker off the mark with the inception of the Boston Marathon in 1897 and the Philadelphia Marathon in 1954. The New York City Marathon, founded in 1970, was a relative early starter as well. | The US was much quicker off the mark with the inception of the Boston Marathon in 1897 and the Philadelphia Marathon in 1954. The New York City Marathon, founded in 1970, was a relative early starter as well. |
| Boston, which hosts the oldest annual marathon in the world, was hit by tragedy this week when with a series of explosions at the finishing line killed three and injured more than 170 people. As a result security is expected to be stepped up for the London Marathon on Sunday. | Boston, which hosts the oldest annual marathon in the world, was hit by tragedy this week when with a series of explosions at the finishing line killed three and injured more than 170 people. As a result security is expected to be stepped up for the London Marathon on Sunday. |
| Use the Tableau visualisation below to see the year of inception for each marathon and also the median number of participants since the race first began. | Use the Tableau visualisation below to see the year of inception for each marathon and also the median number of participants since the race first began. |
| Learn About Tableau Marathon world record times have changed impressively in the past century. When Kenya's Patrick Makau Musyoki set the current men's world record at 2:03:18 in the Berlin Marathon 2011, he was more than half an hour faster than Italian long-distance runner Umberto Blasi in 1914. | Learn About Tableau Marathon world record times have changed impressively in the past century. When Kenya's Patrick Makau Musyoki set the current men's world record at 2:03:18 in the Berlin Marathon 2011, he was more than half an hour faster than Italian long-distance runner Umberto Blasi in 1914. |
| This progression however, is minimal compared to how the women's world record has changed in the same period. Setting the current record in 2003, Paula Radcliffe was more than twice as fast as Marie-Louise Ledru of France in 1918. The average speed of the world record runner rose from a mere 4.62mph to 11.60mph, sharply narrowing the gap to the current men's record average speed of 12.71mph. | This progression however, is minimal compared to how the women's world record has changed in the same period. Setting the current record in 2003, Paula Radcliffe was more than twice as fast as Marie-Louise Ledru of France in 1918. The average speed of the world record runner rose from a mere 4.62mph to 11.60mph, sharply narrowing the gap to the current men's record average speed of 12.71mph. |
| See all winners of the London Marathon since its inception in 1981 and their race times in the below table. The downloadable spreadsheet contains additional data for each marathon such as the number of participants, finishers and the city population. You can also find information on the world record progression in the spreadsheet. | See all winners of the London Marathon since its inception in 1981 and their race times in the below table. The downloadable spreadsheet contains additional data for each marathon such as the number of participants, finishers and the city population. You can also find information on the world record progression in the spreadsheet. |
| Can you do anything interesting with the data? | Can you do anything interesting with the data? |
| Data summary | Data summary |
| London Marathon winners by year | London Marathon winners by year |
| Click heading to sort table. Download this data | Click heading to sort table. Download this data |
| Download the data | Download the data |
| • DATA: download the full spreadsheet | • DATA: download the full spreadsheet |
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