Stuart Weir covered the London Marathon on April 26, 2026. Stuart has covered Olympic events, World Athletics Outdoor and Indoor Championships, European Championships, and Diamond League meetings. Each meet and each media setup is different.
Stuart Weir wanted to give you, kind readers, a view of his work environment.
At the London Marathon (almost)
I will be able to tell the world that I was there when the first-ever sub-2-hour marathon was run. I was there – but was I?
I am covering the London Marathon. I am in London. I am at the event, but actually I am not. At the Paris Olympics, I watched the 100m final from a front-row media seat, equidistant from the start and finish. At the marathon, the written press are in a tent about 400 meters beyond the finish line with no access to the course, watching on a TV screen.
At the London Marathon (almost)
We do have interview opportunities with the athletes after the finish, but the race is watched on TV. Obviously, halfway down the finishing straight is a perfect place to watch the 100m, but where is the best vantage point for a marathon? In fact, is there one? The media center for London used to be at Tower Bridge, about halfway round, and in those days one could pop out and watch the leaders pass – and feel that one had actually been there!
At the 2008 Beijing Olympics, at the start, I met someone who knew Gary Lough (Paula Radcliffe’s husband), and we took the metro to zigzag through Beijing to see Paula at various points in the race. That the 2008 marathon ended in the stadium also meant that we could see the finish. Interesting as that might be, it is irrelevant, as I am stuck in a tent all day!
In the media center, we have BBC live TV coverage of the race. However, the BBC sees the London Marathon as an entertainment and caters to a general rather than a sports audience. At this moment, rather than the women’s elite race, I am watching an interview with someone in a Daddy Pig costume! And to be fair, for many people, the London Marathon is as much about the 50,000 as the elite. And about those who run in a costume.
As well as not seeing any of the race, I also stood in the mixed zone waiting for athletes to come through for interviews. The only one I really wanted to speak to was Eilish McColgan. First of all, I waited. Then I waited some more. She finished at 11.30. Other athletes – the ones I didn’t want to speak to were coming through quickly. “Eilish is at the prize giving and will be along soon,” we were told. Then “Eilish will be here at 12.30”. Then “there is a winners’ press conference at 1; Eilish will be there after that”. Then, “The winners’ press conference has been postponed”. Eilish comes at 1.10. She had had a bad blister and needed medical attention. All is forgiven.
Interview done; go home!
Some sports events are a privilege to be at. Others just seem hard work. Both are true of the London Marathon.
