Founded by athletes Chris Brasher and John Disley in 1981, it is typically held in April, although it moved to October for 2020, 2021, and 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Hugh Brasher (son of Chris) is the current race director and Nick Bitel its chief executive.

[12] The current London Marathon was founded in 1981 by Olympic champion and journalist Chris Brasher and athlete John Disley.

[13][14] Shortly after completing the New York City Marathon in November 1979 Brasher wrote an article for The Observer newspaper which began:

[16] The first wheelchair marathon race was held in 1983 and the event was credited with reducing the stigma surrounding disabled athletes.

Previously David Bedford and Bitel had overseen a period of great change for the race, including amendments to the course in 2005 which saw the cobbled section by the Tower of London replaced with a flat stretch along the Highway.

In 2003, Pedoe was shadowed by Sanjay Sharma from St George's Hospital (University of London) who took over the role in its entirety in 2006.

Also assisting were more than 1,500 volunteers of St. John Ambulance, who organise over 50 first aid posts along the route, and three field hospitals at the finish.

[29] From these points around Blackheath at 35 m (115 ft) above sea level, south of the River Thames, the route heads east through Charlton.

[29][30] As the runners reach the 10 km mark (6.2-mile), they pass by the Old Royal Naval College and head towards Cutty Sark drydocked in Greenwich.

Heading next into Deptford and Surrey Quays/Rotherhithe in the Docklands, and out towards Bermondsey, competitors race along Jamaica Road before reaching the half-way point as they cross Tower Bridge.

[31][32] Since 2012 mile 21 has become a significant cheer zone with Run Dem Crew transforming the stretch of Commercial Road outside the former Limehouse Town Hall into a street party with music and confetti cannons.

[33] Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 London Marathon was run on a non-traditional course, consisting of 19.6 laps of length 2.15 kilometres (1.34 mi) around St James's Park, taking in The Mall, Horse Guards Parade, Birdcage Walk and Buckingham Palace.

The final circuit was 1,345 metres (0.84 mi) along the Mall, following the finish line of the traditional London Marathon course.

[36] The first Men's Elite Race in 1981 was tied between American Dick Beardsley and Norwegian Inge Simonsen, who crossed the finish line holding hands in 2 hours, 11 minutes, 48 seconds.

Previous women's world records were set in 1983 and 1985 by Grete Waitz and Ingrid Kristiansen respectively, both of Norway.

[40] The race attracts amateur runners who make up the bulk of the thirty thousand or more participants; commonly running in fancy dress for charity causes.

[41] On 19 April 2003, former boxer Michael Watson, who had been told he would never be able to walk again after a fight with Chris Eubank, made headlines by finishing the marathon in six days.

In 2006, Sir Steve Redgrave (winner of five consecutive Olympic gold medals) set a new Guinness World Record for money raised through a marathon by collecting £1.8 million in sponsorship.

This broke the record set the previous year by the founder of the Oasis Trust, Steve Chalke, who had collected over £1.25 million.

In recent years, following the growth in popularity of recreational running,[49] it has become increasingly difficult to obtain a place via the general ballot or lottery.

Originally hosted out-of-vision by David Coleman, more recently the main presenters on BBC One have been Sue Barker, Jonathan Edwards and Gabby Logan.

The commentators for the Marathon on the BBC were David Coleman, Ron Pickering, Brendan Foster, Paul Dickinson, Steve Cram, Andrew Cotter, Stuart Storey, Paula Radcliffe, Dame Tanni Grey-Thompson, Liz McColgan, and Rob Walker.

[60] A number of other companies and organisations also use the event for brand identification and marketing, including New Balance,[61] Lucozade Sport,[62] and Fuller's Brewery.