Runners Miss Start After Train Breaks Down

Runners in Sunday's London Marathon thought the 26.2 miles would be the only trial they had to face.

Runners in Sunday's London Marathon thought the 26.2 miles would be the only trial they had to face.

They did not expect to have to sprint for the starting line after a train broke down.

"It's a challenge to even get to the start," runner Ellie Taylor from West London said.

Many athletes were stuck on the Docklands Light Railway (DLR) when a train heading for Greenwich near the race start broke down and could not be cleared, blocking several behind.

Eventually, hundreds of runners and spectators were obliged to leave the trains and walk 30 minutes to Greenwich via a foot tunnel under the River Thames.

Some runners only made it to the start in Greenwich Park after the rest of the 30,000 competitors had set off.

Disappointed spectator Valerie Koo, from Bristol, told Reuters: "We checked online last night and everything seemed to be fine. This could have been handled better."

Others wondered if London would learn from the marathon and make provisions for when masses flood in for the 2012 Olympics.

"If it's like this when one train breaks down, I wonder what it's going to be like during the Games," one spectator said. (Reuters)