TCS LONDON MARATHON Images: © TCS London Marathon / London Marathon Events/Jed Leicester/Ian Roman/Kieran Cleeves/Joe Toth/Jon Buckle
Smooth running The London Marathon Events team discusses operational changes and event developments at the 2022 TCS London Marathon than 40,000 people ran through M ore the streets of the capital, enjoying
perfect weather conditions for their 26.2¬mile journey to the finish line of the 2022 TCS London Marathon. In total, 40,927 crossed the start line whilst 38,156 people passed beneath a new digital finish gantry on The Mall. The new gantry was one of several new event developments and initiatives that greeted participants. One of those initiatives was Rainbow Row – delivered by Proud Events – a section of the route which encouraged the LGBTQIA+ community “to bring colour to the event” and celebrated London’s diversity. Furthermore, assisted wheelchair entrants were on the course for the first time, and the marathon championed its new nonbinary entry policy. Lisa Thompson, TCS London Marathon event lead at London Marathon Events, was tasked with delivering a smooth event. She worked alongside James Taylor, start manager, Ben Craddock, finish manager, Sophie Blackett, route manager, and Andrew Smith, operations director, to deliver the new operational elements. “We always hold a full debrief for each of our events, focussing on areas for improvement for the following year,”
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explained Thompson. “In many ways, the 2021 London Marathon was a bit of an anomaly. We were still operating within limitations imposed by the pandemic, which meant we had to deliver operational changes that – thankfully – were not required this year. “This included showing a negative compulsory lateral flow test result before registration, removing the baggage lorry system, and requiring participants to drop off kit bags at the Running Show at ExCeL before marathon day, and many other changes.” Some changes introduced due to COVID restrictions remained. For example, London Marathon Events amended the entire start operation to reduce dwell time and a wave start process implemented in 2021 was deployed again to create a better participant experience. Thompson continued: “One of the huge successes of the 2022 TCS London Marathon was our incredible new finish gantry, which had digital displays on both sides, with the runner-facing side displaying messages of support and congratulations to participants as they finished. In addition, the finish gantry also provided a unique viewing position for hospitality guests.”
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