The race will start on The Mall with a 2.2-mile circuit of St. James' Park before three eight-mile loops past landmarks including Admiralty Arch, Birdcage Walk, St Paul’s Cathedral, Leadenhall, Tower Hill and the Houses of Parliament before finishing in The Mall, where the annual London Marathon finishes each April, as first revealed on insidethegames in August.

The race will only go as far east as the Tower of London despite protests by residents and MPs in Newham and Tower Hamlets against the decision to move the route away from the Olympic Stadium and the east of the city.

The new route has been approved by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) and the Olympic Board, and agreed by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

Sebastian Coe, the chairman of London 2012, had revealed exclusively to insidethegames on Friday (October 1) that he would not bow to pressure to change the route because he feared that the amount of traffic disruptions that would result from taking the race through East London would jeopardise a successful hosting of the Games.

"Our prime objective as the Organising Committee has to be to deliver venues and events that work for the athletes, spectators, and for the host city - venues that provide the best possible way of keeping the city moving, minimising disruption for everyone and, critically, getting the athletes and spectators to the venues on time. We are confident that the new route is the best way to do this," said Coe.

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