2012 Olympic Marathon Course

It follows the Victoria Embankment towards the City of London where it takes a winding route and continues eastwards to Tower Hill.

[4] The marathon route starts part way along The Mall and, heading away from Buckingham Palace proceeds through Admiralty Arch and past Nelson's Column in Trafalgar Square.

It leads the runners past Cleopatra's Needle and the heraldic lions that symbolically defend the limits of the City of London.

After Blackfriars station (at the end of the Embankment), the course climbs Puddle Dock, a short but steep 16-metre hill[6] from Upper Thames Street to Queen Victoria Street[7] which is paved with cobblestones, before reaching the race's highest point of 18 metres[6] on Ludgate Hill close to the south portal of St Paul's Cathedral.

On the third lap, runners cross the half way mark within sight of St Mary-le-Bow and within earshot of the "Bow Bells".

Leaving Cheapside, the route then goes through the heart of the city, past the offices of many of the world's best known (and lesser known) banks into the Guildhall Yard, home of the Corporation of London.

Leaving Lower Thames Street, the route reaches The Monument dedicated to the Great Fire of London.

On the other laps, runners turn right at the end of the Embankment, and continue past Big Ben and Parliament Square and towards Buckingham Palace via Birdcage Walk on the periphery of St. James's Park.

[14] The changes rerouted the section between Trafalgar Square and St Paul's Cathedral from The Strand to the Victoria Embankment (past Cleopatra's Needle) which would then be bi-directional.

It also removed Whitechapel Road and Tower Bridge from the route, while adding the Guildhall Yard and Leadenhall Market.

[22] The rules also state that "the distance in kilometres on the route shall be displayed to all athletes"[23] and require that water and refreshments be provided at approximately 5 km intervals.

[7][26] Commentators also noted that the cobblestones on the "brief but steep" hill in the vicinity of St Pauls would present further challenges to the runners.

Although the Olympic route shared a finish in The Mall and a section along the Victoria Embankment with the regular London Marathon course,[30] the Olympic event also started in The Mall whilst the London Marathon starts in Greenwich, and the event followed an otherwise different course.

The 1908 games were originally to have been held in Rome, but in April 1906 Mount Vesuvius erupted causing damage to nearby Naples.

[35] It was extended to 26 miles 385 yards (42.195 km) to avoid troublesome cobbles and tram lines, because of access restrictions at Windsor Castle and to improve visibility to the spectators, including Queen Alexandra, for the finishing stretch inside the stadium.

The start and finish of the 2012 Summer Olympics marathon course is on The Mall in London.
Out-of-date map of the London 2012 Olympic Marathon route.
A later map (May 2012 version) [ 1 ] shows several small changes, e.g. Bank junction being approached from Princes Street, not Threadneedle Street , as in this map.
Elevation Profile of London Olympic Marathon Course, which ranges from 1.5 to 17.7 metres above sea level
Victoria Embankment is traversed twice in each lap, once in each direction
The route passes the south transept of St Paul's Cathedral and then turns right to pass the West Door and thence northwards across Paternoster Square .
St Mary-le-Bow , whose bells are known as the "Bow Bells" in the nursery rhyme Oranges and Lemons , is close to the mid-way mark of the route on Cheapside .
The route passes through the Guildhall Yard in front of the Guildhall
The covered Leadenhall Market forms part of the Olympic marathon route.
The runners perform a U-turn on Tower Hill (foreground), close to the Tower of London
Runners turn right when they leave the Embankment (right) to pass the Palace of Westminster , on the first lap they run part of the way across Westminster Bridge .