A personal visit to the London 2012 Olympic’s Men’s Marathon. Photos!
London 2012 Olympics Men's Marathon Race Leaders coming through St Paul's. Photo Frank J - Famefad.com
This was a personal visit to the Men’s marathon as part of the London 2012 Olympics to get a few shots for this website with no screaming pressure or deadlines. The marathon was held on Sunday 12 August and the Marathon Route was different from the normal annual London Marathon consisting of two smaller loops in the West End and 3 larger loops around the City taking in the major landmarks, starting and finishing of course on The Mall.
It was decided to head down to this event and brave the crowds to see what’s going on and capture the vibe as this was a big one.
London 2012 Olympic Men’s Marathon Details:
Race Length: 26 miles through the streets of London
Fastest Time: just over 2 hours.
Arrived: About 10.30 am and race started at 11am a couple of miles away on the Mall.
Weather: Bright and Sunny
Photo Location: Quite fancied St Paul’s Cathedral so St Paul’s it was, just to the side in the Churchyard/Paternoster Square area.
Were the bells ringing?: Oh Yess, for 2 and half hours non stop and still ringing when leaving LOUDLY!
Helicopters Overhead?: Yes following the leaders and again LOUD
Media Presence: St Paul’s was a hotspot. There was a media crane about 50 yards away directly in front of St Paul’s confirming this was a route highlight.
Crowd Levels: Avaerage between 2-4 deep some places less some way more so surprisingly not bad so no Hail Mary’s required (arm in the air shots)
Camera Gear. Old but reliable Canon 30D stripped down with no flash and just a lightwight cheapo 50mm prime lens using good old daylight. It’s free and doesn’t need batteries!. My fave set up…..lean and light…….you can shoot 12 hours straight with this no problem.
Last Shot: Ran over like a crazy person to Newgate Street near BT HQ to get an essential shot of the last runner followed by the Sweep Van. He got the loudest cheers for some reason, the crowd went beserk and he was a star.
Verdict: Hats off to these guys as they are true athletes. Just a shame there was no Mo Farah to make it 3 Gold’s in a row (asking a bit much really). some OK if not exceptional (in my eyes) shots. Should have brought a zoom lens though for added bite and drama.
Total Cost: Zero apart from a couple of hours of time. My kinda Event.
Total Shots: Not many around the 50 or 60 mark which is low but everything was covered.
Photos: All Creative Commons. If you want to use on the web just link back to this site or link back and mention this article.. All photos are reduced size from the originals!
London 2012 Olympics Men’s Marathon Results
1 3113 KIPROTICH Stephen 2:08:01+
2 2304 KIRUI Abel 2:08:27+
3 2302 KIPROTICH Wilson Kipsang 2:09:37+
4 3225 KEFLEZIGHI Mebrahtom 2:11:06+
5 1226 DOS SANTOS Marilson 2:11:10+
6 2230 NAKAMOTO Kentaro 2:11:16+
7 3368 NYASANGO Cuthbert 2:12:08 PB+
8 1229 PAULA Paulo Roberto 2:12:17 +
9 2672 SZOST Henryk 2:12:28+
10 2139 PERTILE Ruggero 2:12:45
London 2012 Men’s Olympic Marathon Gallery Photo Highlights
Uh oh, looks like something went wrong. Try again in a sec!