Pool of London prepares to welcome the London Marathon

Practicalities and road closures

The course enters SE1 via Tooley Street and leaves via Tower Bridge – first runners from approx 9.45am. Police will start vehicle removals along route from 6am. Tower Bridge will be
closed 8am-5pm and Jamaica Road/Tooley Street will be closed 9am-2pm

More information is available on the London Marathon website.

SE1 people

County Hall resident Sian Fleet-Milne is the principal independent adjudicator for the National Lottery draws on the BBC, and has been persuaded to run the Marathon for the first time this year.  She has been training all winter with fellow County Hall resident Rita Woo on training routes all round London including the South Bank. Both are running for Childline and are part of the wider Camelot team. 

Fr Addison Okpeh of St George's RC Cathedral is raising money for the work of priests of his order working in difficult places – for example with Aids victims in South Africa, recovering from war in Liberia and rebuilding after the hurricane in Grenada.

Linda Hunt, operations manager of The Club at County Hall, has been training for the Marathon since December last year. Her training involves a strict session in the gym three times a week as well as a session with one of the Club's personal trainers.

Linda has been running for a long time but decided to take part this year as she felt it was a "once in a lifetime opportunity to raise money and support the charity". Her chosen charity is the Children's Wish Foundation which helps terminally ill children and so far she has raised £600.

Linda plans to recover on Monday with a a sauna, steam and massage at the club. The Club at County Hall is offering all London SE1 website readers a special 'marathon package' where they can sample all the club's facilities (sauna, steam, jacuzzi, pool, gym and classes) as well as have a half-hour massage all for £28. Everyone that books in for this package will be in with the chance to win a complimentary treatment in the County Hall Spa. Call 020 7928 4900 for details.

Transport

Transport for London is providing free travel for all runners and officials on the Tube and to clear the way for participants. Buses will be diverted and some roads closed. Diversions and roads closures will be for as short a time as possible to minimise inconvenience to users.

For free travel, runners and officials need to show their official Marathon tabard or race number to London Underground staff.

Thames Clippers will operate extra Marathon services on its route between the Savoy Pier (on the Embankment) and Greenwich. Stops along the route include Bankside Pier (Tate Modern), St Katharine's Dock (Tower Bridge), Canary Wharf, Greenland Pier (Surrey Quays) and Masthouse Terrace (Isle of Dogs).

With a total journey time of under 30 minutes the service will help runners travelling from central London to reach the start at Greenwich Park, while spectators will be able to take advantage of a special all day hop-on, hop-off ticket (£10) ensuring that they catch all the action. First sailing from the Savoy to Greenwich is at 7.30am arriving 25 minutes later. The
last boat departure from Savoy is at 6.05pm.