The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, and the British minister of sport, Hugh Robertson, have confirmed that the London Marathon will proceed as scheduled on Sunday April 20. The speculation that the race would be cancelled, in light of the personal injury damages and wrongful deaths suffered by runners and spectators at the Boston Marathon, has proven to be unfounded.
Robertson was adamant that the British public and its representatives will not “be cowered by this sort of behavior,” referring to the explosions that rocked the Boston Marathon on Monday April 15. Additional security measures are expected at the massive weekend event, but government officials are determined to make the marathon a day of celebration, as is normally the case.
37,000 runners are registered to participate in Sunday’s massive race, while close to half a million spectators are expected to line the 26.2 mile-long race course around the London metropolis. There is little information at this point on how many will choose not to run or not attend Sunday’s marathon due to the perceived threat of an attack.
London Mayor Boris Johnson has provided some details on the level of security expected at the marathon and at Wednesday’s funeral procession for Margaret Thatcher. A staggering number of police officers and dogs are to be deployed to assist in carrying out searches and utilizing checkpoints, as well as live monitoring of London’s massive amount of closed circuit television cameras.
