London 2012 appoints London Marathon officials to manage and help design Olympic course

London Marathon to manage 2012 Olympic course

LONDON — London 2012 officials have appointed the London Marathon organizers to manage and help design the course for the Olympic event.

The London Marathon will provide the organizing committee with free staff and equipment, including start facilities, race vehicles and feeding stations, for both the Olympic and Paralympic events.

“The London Marathon run one of the best marathons every year and their expertise will be a bonus to the London 2012 organizers,” IAAF president Lamine Diack said Friday.

The London Marathon helped design the route submitted during the bidding process for the 2012 Olympics, which comprised three circuits of central London landmarks including Tower of London, Buckingham Palace and St. Paul’s Cathedral.

The exact route will be decided after further study of the logistics and feasibility of the plans.

While the London Marathon — which has been run annually since 1981 and is one of the five World Marathon Majors — finishes on The Mall, the Olympic course will be considerably different so that the race ends in the Olympic Stadium in east London.