The Olympic torch is coming to Guildford in 2012 as its last stop before London.
The grass running track in Stoke Park was laid out again recently. It’s from here in Guildford that the Olympic torch will begin the the final leg of its journey into London for the 2012 games.
There’ll be an evening celebration in Stoke Park on Friday, 20th July next year.
The International Olympic Committee has announced that the global torch relays of previous Olympiads are a thing of the past. In 2012, as in future, there’ll only be a relay within the country hosting the games.
So it’s certain that the torch won’t return to Guildford for many years to come.
But what better place to begin the final stage of the 2012 Olympic torch relay? Because not far away, there’s an ancient milestone hidden beside London Road which shows the distance (along the old roads) as 26 miles to Hyde Park Corner.
Guildford’s Stoke Park is exactly a marathon distance from central London.
Who will run the torch through Guildford? My vote goes to Atlanta 400 m silver medallist Roger Black, who used to train on the tartan track at Spectrum nearby.
I’ll be running through the park to Spectrum again shortly, as I’ve a marathon of my own to run in 2012.
Another 26 mile journey will start in Guildford very soon.
Related articles:
94. London Olympics 2012
40. Running with Roger Black
189. Olympic laurels 2 – Beijing 2008
116. London is Olympic – The London Marathon
64. Olympic laurels – Athens 2004
34. Lines from the Battle of Guildford
roads of stone 