The London Olympic marathon course helped establish the modern 42.195-kilometer distance.
At the 1908 Games, the marathon started at Windsor Castle and finished at the White City Stadium. The organizers arranged the finish in front of the royal box, producing a course length of 26 miles and 385 yards.
That distance was later adopted as the international marathon standard. Earlier Olympic marathons had not been identical in length, because organizers used locally selected routes. The London course therefore became historically important even though the race itself was controversial.
Italian runner Dorando Pietri entered the stadium first but was disqualified after receiving assistance when he repeatedly collapsed and went the wrong way. American Johnny Hayes was awarded the gold medal. The distance and the dramatic finish both helped make the 1908 marathon especially famous.