On 29 March 1981, just over 7,000 – mostly male – runners set off on the 26.2-mile route from Greenwich Park to Constitution Hill. See how the Guardian reported events
By John Ezard
30 March 1981
Inge Simonsen, a 27-year-old Norwegian, “officially” won the first London marathon in 2 hours 11 minutes 48 seconds yesterday, the fastest time recorded in Britain for 11 years, watched by an estimated 100,000 people.
Bob Wiseman, of Calvert Road, Greenwich, a 78-year-old part-time storeman with 17 grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren, finished proud, physically undistressed and last in just over six hours. “At least they told me that there were still some people behind me. But I think they were just being kind,” he said after trotting, jogging and walking a mile about every 15 minutes for the whole course. “I had hoped to do it within five hours. Next time I shall be better geared up. I’ve never run more than seven miles before.”
