11:00
£69.99
Age 18 & over
London's newest, oldest marathon.
The Original Marathon is a marathon run along the historic route of the world's first ever 26.2 mile marathon route which took place at the London 1908 Olympic Games from Windsor Castle to White City Stadium.
In early spring, you can be part of a group of runners retracing the footsteps of legends and being presented with a very special replica London 1908 medal and presentation box at the finish.
Run in the footsteps of legends and share their inspiring story.
Run the route of the first ever 26.2 mile marathon.
Run for fun, for the experience or for charity.
Special 1908 replica medal and presentation box.
Now, the first and most famous ever 26.2 mile marathon returns... and you can be part of it.
The 26 mile, 385 yard distance is recognised globally as the standard marathon distance, but it wasn't always that way...
The first marathons had varying distances but a famous race changed all that: The London 1908 Olympic Games marathon ran from inside the grounds of Windsor Castle to The White City Stadium, finishing in front of the Royal Box. It was July 1908, a very hot day and the race started at 11.30am.
Exhausted and wearing a knotted handkerchief to protect him from the sun, Dorando Pietri (Italy) entered the stadium in the lead. He went the wrong way, fell 5 times, crossed the line first but was disqualified following an appeal by the second-placed USA team, as officials had helped him to his feet.
Sympathy from around the world for Dorando led the Queen to award him a special cup. This race and the marathon distance became famous across the globe. The 26.2 mile distance stuck and has been the global standard ever since (although it was only officially ratified in 1924).
Every marathon ever run owes some small debt of gratitude to these legends of 1908.
A legacy event was established following this famous race and is still the longest running European marathon (only the Boston Marathon has a longer history). This legacy event (Polytechnic Marathon) ran from 1909 to 1996 and boasted 8 world records set on its course!
Register as a spectator for free to receive key information about the race.
Windsor Castle
Windsor
Berkshire
SL4 1NJ
UK
Bags will be transported to the finish - free of charge.
The route is mostly identical to 1908 and features:
There are some small sections where roads have been built in the last 115 years, which do not have footpaths, where the group will deviate very slightly from the route.
Also it is worth noting that this event will be very slightly over 26.2 miles. The original 1908 route was on closed roads, whereas Original Marathon is not. The group will at times need to navigate roundabouts by crossing at pedestrian crossings, which can at times add a small amount of distance.
The group will be guided and the route will be marked so navigation is not required.
The starts are arranged by pace group.
There are different wave starts, based on your predicted speed, as submitted on your entry. The event is a guided run but you're welcome to run outside of your allocated pace group. Your finish times will be listed and also compared to the finish times of the 1908 race. Results will be published and share. The first start will be around 11am. You will be notified of your start time/group closer to the event date.
6 hours.
Runners have up to 6 hours to complete the course, with the end of the event planned for 17:00.
A replica medal from the London 1908 Olympic Marathon Race has been commissioned. The medal is a very cool coin, set it it's own presentation box, also a replica of what was awarded in 1908. As soon as the medals are delivered, they'll be shared on social media.
Runners can get a half price event place with Spinal Cord Injury charity, Aspire, in return for pledging to raise £350 sponsorship.
Every four hours someone is paralysed by Spinal Cord Injury, and there is no cure.
Disability is expensive, so Aspire offers practical help to people with a spinal cord injury to support them in living independently.
If you select a charity place, you'll get half price entry in the agreement that you fundraise a minimum of £350 for Aspire. Aspire is a national charity that offers support to the 50,000 people in the UK paralysed by Spinal Cord Injury, so all the funds you raise make a huge difference to their work.
2025 fees to be confirmed.
Entry fee
£69.99