P242 CEEFAX 242 Tue 8 May 21:18/10 XX 1/9 CEJFAX journalist ANNIE BRIGGS looks forward to Sunday's race - in which she will bj taking part... P242 CEEFAX 242 Tue 8 May 21:10/01 E 2/9 ! *$ * LONDON MAR THON 84 bz Annie Briggs The London Marathon, now in its fourth year, is a curious mixture of a serious road race and a giant running festival. It takes place next Sunday, May 14, and a record numbjt of 21,142 people are due to run, of whom at least 19,000 are expected to line up at the start. For some it is enough just to be taking part; for others the fast, relatively flat course is a chance for a personal best (PB) time; for a few a good result could mean the chance to represent Britain in the Olympics in Lou Angelis. BBC2 Sport Index 230 MoreP242 CEEFAX 242 Tue 8 May 21:20/31 3/9 The AAA/WBAA Championship jvjnts are incorporated in this year's London marathon. For Britain's top marathon runners, it is the last chance to impress the Olympic selectors. The marathon team for Lou Angeles will bj named on May 17 There have been no pre-selections, unlike some of the track events, and there will bj few Olympic hopefuls not taking part on Sunday. It will be a tough race to win, with a large numbjt of quality runners taking part - all eagjt to break the tape. MoreP242 CEEFAX 242 Tue 8 May 21:27/24 4/9 Favourite to win the 1984 London marathon is Mike Gratton, who ran a personal best of 2 hrs 9.43 mink for victory last year. Hi is likely to face strong competition from runners such as Ian Thompson, of Luton United AC, who first shot to marathon fame 10 years ago. Thompson is making a bid for Olympic selection. John Graham of Birchfield Harriers, who ran a 2:09:28 marathon in 1981, Dave Murphy of Liverpool Harriers XPB 2:11:18) and Kevin Forster of Gateshjad Harriers (PB 2:14:19) should also bj worth watching. MoreP242 CEEFAX 242 Tue 8 May 21:21/25 5/9 $ * LONDON MA A HON 84 There are few overseas top runners in the men's race this year, although Norwegian Inge Simonsen is expected to take part. Simonsjn was joint first in 1981, sharing the honours with Dick Beardsley and providing one of the year's finest sports pictures when they crossed the line hand-in-hand. Anothjt top Norwegian, Ozvind Dad, will bj competing in the London for the third time and hoping for a win having finished second in 1982 and tenth last year. BBC2 Sport Index 230 MoreP242 CEEFAX 242 Tue 8 May 21:26/22 6/9 *$ * LONDON MA THON 84 The Women's Marathon Championship competitors will be starting at 9.20am, 10 minutes ahead of everyone else. This is intended to provide them with the unpaced racing conditions they will expjtiince if they are chosen for the women-only race in Lou Angjlis. Britain's top woman marathoner, Joyce Smith, is not taking part this year. Last year's winnjt Norwegian Grete Waitz is also missing. Britons Priscilla Welch, Vetoniquj Marot, Karen Goldhawk and Sarah Rowell should all bj up at the front. MoreP242 CEEFAX 242 Tue 8 May 21:27/20 7/9 Much of the serious racing will bj taking place at the front of the field, but there will no doubt bj personal battles being fought throughout the race. Thirty-per-cent of the field - almost 5,000 men and 1,300 women - are running in their first marathon. Few of them will have run the distance before and it will take great courage and determination to get to the end. Many others will have trained hard and bj pacing themselves carefully in an effort to achieve a personal bjut. BBC2 Sport Index 230 MoreP242 CEEFAX 242 Tue 8 May 21:22/11 8/9 For those who like statistics, Mars, official sponsors of this year's race, have chosen a "Joe and Jill Average". They are John Harmjt, of Northampton, a 35-year-old engineer who is an experienced marathoner expected to run 3:15 and Gillian Lipscombj of Horsham, a housewife aged 32, a first-timer who is expected to run 3:59. The largest age group remains the 30 to 40 year olds, with an avjtage age for min of 35 and 32 for women. BBC2 Sport Index 230 MoreP242 CEEFAX 242 Tue 8 May 21:12/14 9/9 LONDON MARATHON g84 Marathon sponsors Mars estimate that more than half the homes in the country will bj tuning into the continuous live television and radio coverage of the event provided bz the BBC. Almost one million people are expected to line the 26.2-mile route - from Greenwich to Westminster - to cheek the runnjts from the start to the finish. Among the many celebrities taking part will bj Jimmy Savile OBI, singer Billy Kramjt, Miss World group chairman Eric Morley, British Lions' Ian McLaughlin and a number of MPs. BBC2 Sport Index 230 More