A MARATHON EFFORT
ON March 29, 1981, a mass gathering of runners waited at Shooters Hill to start a 26.2-mile race around London. Shivering in the cold Sunday sun, about 7,500 eager athletes were about to step out on a marathon event that has since raised hundreds of millions of pounds for charity and encouraged generations to run.
The first marathon to be held in London had actually taken place in 1908, as part of
