100 Years of the Marathon: 42.195 km = 25 Miles + 1 Mile + 385 Yards – Marathon Course of the 1908 Olympic Games in London – The Anniversary of 42.195 km

For the first marathon race in 1896 at the Olympic Games in Athens, a “runable course”, about 40 km long, was chosen, which led from the gates of Marathon to the stadium in Athens. As there was not an athletics regulations commission to set the norm until the founding of the IAAF in 1913 in Berlin, every event organiser determined the exact length of the marathon course according to the local conditions.

Due to the dominance of North American athletics, the length of most marathon courses was set at about 25 miles or 40 kilometres. In Boston, the oldest marathon, which was first held in April 1897 and every year since, the course was only 24 miles leading from Hopkinton to Boston

The traditional 25-mile course served as a basis for the Olympic Marathon in 1908 in London. The announcement for bids read: “The 40-km marathon race will take run on public streets, which will be marked by the Amateur Athletics Association, and will end on the stadium track, where the last 1/3 mile is to be run (1 lap = 536 metres).

The 1908 Olympic athletics competitions took place from July 13-25, 1908, in the “Great Stadium” in Shepherd’s Bush, London. The Olympic Marathon took place in London on Friday, July 24, 1908.

*The 1908 marathon course was measured backwards from the finish to the start *

For the first time, the course in London was precisely measured, and a detailed course map was published. The 1908 marathon course was measured backwards from the finish to the start, which had been set as the east terrace of Windsor Castle.

This starting point was chosen so that members of the Royal Family would be able to start off the marathon. The planned 25 miles from the entrance of the “Great Stadium” ended at Barnespool Bridge in Eton, and the distance from there to the start was one more mile, making the total course length 26-miles.

The marathon was then to end directly in front of the Royal Box in the London Olympic Stadium – meaning one complete stadium lap would not be possible, as had been originally been called for. The distance from the entrance of the stadium to the Royal Box was 385 yards. This made the formula for the London marathon “25 miles + 1 mile + 385 yards; that makes 42.195 km. The official report, however, falsely calculated the conversion, listing it as 42.263 kilometres.

To make it comparable, the rematch, which took place between Hayes and Pietri after the 1908 Olympic Games, was also run on a course based upon the London measurements of 42.195 km = 26 miles, 385 yards. This then served as a quasi-standard for the marathon course, which some marathon organisers followed from then on.

*Founding of the IAAF in Berlin in August 1913*

With the founding of the IAAF in Berlin in 1913, a regulations commission was established, which was to create a draft for the athletics program for the IOC session in Lyon in 1914. In this draft, which was approved in 1914 at the second IAAF congress in Lyon, the marathon was set at 40.200 metres, or 25 miles. The IOC, however, decided at the Olympic Congress in 1914 in Lyon to set the distance at 42 km. According to the Greek IOC member Alexander Merkati, this was the correct course length (probably because this is the distance run at the 1906 Olympic Games in Athens).

Due to the local conditions at the 1920 Olympic Games in Antwerp, the marathon distance was extended to 42.750 km. This new course length led to renewed discussions on the course distance, bringing it to the tables at the fourth IAAF Congress in Geneva in 1921.

On May 27, 1921, the competent IAAF organ, the World Records Committee, decided to set the distance of the Olympic marathon according to the London model: 42.195 km = 26 miles, 385 yards!

*Course description with errors *

In the official report of the 1908 Olympic Games, an erroneous course description was published. The actual exact course length cannot be determined, as several of the buildings and places referred to no longer exist today.

*David E. Martin and Roger W.H. Gynn* depict the London course amidst today’s topography in their publication: “The Olympic Marathon. The History and Drama of Sport’s most challenging Event.”

Champaign IL.: Human Kinetics, 2000, 510 p.

The London course 1908 as we know today:

Start on the grounds of Windsor Castle on its east terrace, under the windows of the nursery, 700 yards east of Victoria's statue on Castle Hill –
Continue to Victoria's statue
Right onto High Street to Thames Street (Windsor)
Right onto Thames Street to High Street (Windsor)
Left onto High Street, cross Windsor Bridge over the Thames River, continue through Eton College to Windsor Road (Eton)
Half right onto Windsor Road (Eton)
Windsor Road (Eton) becomes Slough Road
Slough Road becomes Windsor Road (Slough)
Continue on Windsor Road (Slough) to High Street (Slough)
Right onto High Street to Uxbridge Road (Slough)
Half left onto Uxbridge Road (Slough)
Uxbridge Road becomes Slough Road, eventually crossing the Colne River
Slough Road then becomes St. John's Road
St. John's Road becomes Rockingham Road
Rockingham Road becomes Windsor Street (Uxbridge)
Continue on Windsor Street to High Street (Uxbridge)
Right on High Street to Park Road (Uxbridge)
Left onto Park Road
Park Road becomes Swakeleys Road
Continue on Swakeleys Road to High Road (Ickenham)
Left on High Road (Ickenham) High Road becomes Ickenham Road
Continue on Ickenham Road to High Street (Ruislip)
Left onto High Street to Eastcote Road (Ruislip)
Right onto Eastcote Road to Field End Road
Right onto Field End Road to Bridle Road (Eastcote)
Half left onto Bridle Road
Bridle Road becomes Eastcote Road
Continue on Eastcote Road to Marsh Road (Pinner)
Right onto Marsh Road to Pinner Road (Pinner)
Half right onto Pinner Road
Pinner Road becomes Lowlands Road (Harrow on the Hill)
Lowlands Road becomes Tyburn Lane (Harrow)
Tyburn Lane becomes Kenton Road (Harrow)
Continue on Kenton to Watford Road (Harrow)
Right onto Watford Road to Harrow Road (Sudbury)
Left on Harrow Road
Harrow Road becomes Harrow High Road (Wembley)
Harrow High Road becomes Harrow Road (Wembley)
Harrow Road becomes Hillside Hillside becomes Craven Park
Craven Park becomes High Station Road (Harlesden)
High Station Road becomes Old Oak Lane (Harlesden)
Old Oak Lane becomes Old Oak Common Lane
Continue on Old Oak Common Lane to Wormwood Scrubs path
Left on Wormwood Scrubs path to Scrubs Lane
Right on Scrubs Lane to Wood Lane Scrubs Lane becomes Wood Lane
Continue on Wood Lane to access road for White City Stadium marathon tunnel
Right on access road through stadium tunnel onto the track
Left on stadium track 385 yards to finish beside royal box

Gerd Steins – Sportmuseum Berlin – AIMS Marathon Museum of Running
Sportmuseum.Berlin-online.de

The results from 1908:

Download Results as PDF