MARATHON RUNNERS IN SAFE HANDS, THANKS TO BMW
19 April 2005 - BMW Motorrad GB

Spectators and television viewers of last weekend’s Flora London Marathon cannot have failed to notice a fleet of BMW R1200 RT motorcycles, assigned to help protect elite runners such as Paula Radcliffe and Martin Lel due to heightened security measures at the world-famous event.

Four of BMW’s best-selling touring machines were supplied to the organisers and ridden throughout the duration of the 26.2 mile race by former Special Escort Group and Traffic Patrol riders. Accompanying them on the motorcycles – and keeping a watchful eye on crowd activity and possible disruption to the event – were specially trained security officials, whose task it was to guard competitors from the possibility of any disturbance from protesters.

BMW’s 110 bhp motorcycle has received national praise for its dynamic performance capability since it was launched earlier this year. However, its low speed stability, ergonomic efficiency and superior riding comfort would have been of greater importance during Sunday’s security mission as the four BMW bikes circulated at speeds under 15 mph for more than two hours along the legendary course.

Starting at Blackheath Common and following a route past the capital’s famous landmarks such as Canary Wharf, Tower Bridge and Buckingham Palace, the Flora London Marathon is regarded as the most successful fundraising event in the world.

A total of 35,680 competitors crossed the finishing line at London’s famous Mall – with a further 750,000 supporters cheering them on and millions of fans following the action on television. However, the best result for Flora London Marathon Race Director, David Bedford, was that there were no incidents for the security team to deal with:

“Yesterday’s 25th London Marathon took part in glorious sunny conditions and from a security point of view everything ran smoothly,” he said. “ I’m very grateful to BMW Motorrad UK for their support in supplying four safe and reliable motorcycles and I’m pleased to say that their conspicuous presence must have had something to do with the fact that there were no security issues at all.”

Paula Radcliffe won the elite women’s race for the third consecutive year with the third fastest time ever of two hours, seventeen minutes and 42 seconds, while Martin Lel was the first runner to cross the finishing line in the elite men’s race with a time of two hours, seven minutes and 26 seconds.

www.bmw-motorrad.co.uk

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