<p>Plato once said that music gives a soul to the universe, and for a large proportion of the world&rsquo;s best athletes it&rsquo;s an essential part of their routine.</p>
<p>Whether it&rsquo;s to psyche themselves up for a race, to calm their nerves at a crucial moment or to help them through the daily grind of training, it can be a powerful aid.</p>
<p>But what songs stoke the fires for the fastest, fittest athletes on earth? We caught up with world 200m champion Noah Lyles and asked him to share his pre-race playlist with the world.</p>
<p>"This is my go-to playlist when I&rsquo;m running at a Diamond League or major championships," says Lyles. "I created this playlist in this specific order, with each song put in for a different part of my warm-up. The first song sets up the whole thing and then from <em>Praise On The Inside</em> to <em>Never Let Me Down</em>, those are really good songs I like to listen to when I&rsquo;m stretching and doing active drills. Then by the time I get to <em>Ima Boss</em> to <em>New God Flow</em> I&rsquo;m doing drills.</p>
<p>"Sometimes I&rsquo;ll get to <em>Don&rsquo;t Like</em> but usually <em>New God Flow</em> will be the last song I hear before going into the call room &ndash; it&rsquo;s the song that takes me over the edge. I only make a playlist for races, I don&rsquo;t use these songs for training because I don&rsquo;t want to wear them out."</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h3>Noah Lyles' pre-race playlist</h3>
<p>Pornography &ndash; by Travis Scott</p>
<p>Rabbit Run &ndash; by Eminem</p>
<p>Praise on the Inside &ndash; by J Moss</p>
<p>Jesus Walks &ndash; by Kanye West</p>
<p>Never Let Me Down &ndash; by Kanye West</p>
<p>20 Min &ndash; by Lil Uzi Vert</p>
<p>Rise and Shine &ndash; by J. Cole</p>
<p>Ima Boss &ndash; by Meek Mill</p>
<p>Power &ndash; by Kanye West</p>
<p>New God Flow.1 &ndash; by Kanye West</p>
<p>Don&rsquo;t Like.1 &ndash; by Kanye West</p>
<p>Holy Key &ndash; by DJ Khaled</p>
<p>Champions &ndash; by Kanye West</p>
<p>Voices In My Head &ndash; by Big Sean</p>

Songs that fire up the world 200m champion

Playlist athletics sprinting Noah Lyles USA

The pre-race playlist - Noah Lyles

<p>Books about running fall into two broad categories &ndash; celebration, and aspiration.</p>
<p>The deeds of those who have made their name on the track, or the road, are recalled by the participants, or honoured by observers. Meanwhile those wishing to partake of this magical realm are offered all manner of advice as they prepare to tie up their laces and get underway.</p>
<p>So here goes with the first, unscientific, sample of what is out there for those wishing to follow, or to participate in the great sport of track and field.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><img style="width: 100px; height: 152px; margin-left: 20px; align: right;" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51%2BIZwj6WFL._SX327_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg" alt="book" align="right" />Emil Zatopek won 10,000m gold and 5000m silver at the 1948 London Games and returned to the Olympic arena four years later in Helsinki where he won the 10,000m, the 5000m and &ndash; even though he had never run the distance before &ndash; the marathon; an achievement never likely to be matched.</p>
<p>His life forms the basis of Rick Broadbent&rsquo;s <a href="https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/endurance-9781472920225/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong><em><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Endurance: The Extraordinary Life and Times of Emil Zatopek</span></em></strong></a> (Bloomsbury, 2016). Our hero&rsquo;s athletic virtues were startling enough &ndash; by the time of his last race in 1958 the Czechoslovakian soldier had 18 world records to his credit, not to mention an additional three European titles.</p>
<p><img style="width: 100px; height: 153px; margin-left: 20px; align: right;" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51%2B0VVbe6QL._SX324_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg" alt="book" align="right" />But it is the political context in which he was obliged to compete, painstakingly described in Broadbent&rsquo;s intelligent, ambitious and wide-ranging account, which deepens one&rsquo;s regard for a figure whose quirky, seemingly unquenchable spirit was recognised and appreciated around the world.</p>
<p>The following year another outstanding account of Zatopek&rsquo;s life came out, from Richard Askwith, entitled <a href="https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/1109422/today-we-die-a-little/9780224100359.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong><em><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Zatopek &ndash; Today We Die A Little</span></em></strong></a> (Yellow Jersey Press, 2017). A beautifully controlled and imaginatively realised read.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><img style="width: 100px; height: 150px; margin-left: 20px; align: right;" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41FbKCBca%2BL.jpg" alt="book" align="right" />When Meb Keflezighi &ndash; the first person in history to win both the Boston and New York City marathons as well as an Olympic marathon medal, having taken silver at the 2004 Athens Games &ndash; ran his final marathon in New York City on 5 November 2017, it marked the end of an extraordinary distance-running career.</p>
<p>Two years on he has written a book which reflects on each and every one of those marathon runs, and how they have challenged and changed him. It is entitled, fittingly enough, <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a title="26 Marathons" href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/592247/26-marathons-by-meb-keflezighi-with-scott-douglas/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><em><strong>26 Marathons</strong></em></a></span> (Rodale Books, 2019).</p>
<p>&ldquo;Meb&rsquo;s 26 Marathons is like opening a treasure chest full of inspiring stories... It is pure gold!&rdquo; said Shalane Flanagan, a home winner in the women&rsquo;s race on the day Meb ran his last one.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><img style="width: 100px; height: 152px; margin-left: 20px; align: right;" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41RHivLfFnL._SX327_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg" alt="book" align="right" />Can you run away from grief, and fear? Can you run towards acceptance, and peace of mind? These are the primal questions posed in <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/537830/running-home-by-katie-arnold/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><em><strong>Running Home: A Memoir</strong></em></a></span> (Random House, 2019) by Katie Arnold, an established writer about extreme athletics.</p>
<p>Following the sudden death of her father through cancer, and the anxiety that gripped her a year later when she feared she was also dying, Arnold found that her solace came in running. Running and running, out in the wilds.</p>
<p>She then turned seriously to ultra-distance trail running as an outlet for grief and a space for self-reflection.&nbsp; She also investigates the science that appears to back her instinct that this is a healing process.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><img style="width: 100px; height: 160px; margin-left: 20px; align: right;" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51UQHO08THL._SX310_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg" alt="book" align="right" />On the theme of ultra-running, acclaimed author Adharanand Finn, who has previously produced the hugely popular titles <em>Running with the Kenyans</em> and <em>The Way of the Runner</em>, has this year issued a despatch from another part of the athletics parish.</p>
<p>The <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://pegasusbooks.com/books/rise-of-the-ultrarunners-cl-9781643131351-hardcover" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><em><strong>Rise of the Ultra Runners</strong></em></a></span> (Pegasus Books, 2019) looks at an area of running that has moved into the mainstream in recent years and become popular around the world.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><img style="width: 100px; height: 123px; margin-left: 20px; align: right;" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/512GG5MIwvL._SX405_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg" alt="book" align="right" />On the theme of anxiety, Kelly Holmes, Britain&rsquo;s 2004 Olympic 800m and 1500m champion, has been brave and open about the occasional struggles she has had during, and after, her running career.</p>
<p>Her latest book, <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="https://www.kylebooks.co.uk/titles/kelly-holmes/running-life/9780857836533/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><em><strong>Running Life</strong></em></a></span> (Kyle Books, 2018) is an inspirational, practical guide for improving physical and mental health. Holmes draws upon her own experiences of dealing with depression and the heart-breaking injuries that helped deny her for many years the rewards her talents merited.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><img style="width: 100px; height: 151px; margin-left: 20px; align: right;" src="https://images-eu.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/515E1dP0pvL.jpg" alt="book" align="right" />Coach Denise Sauriol has competed in more than 100 marathons, and is apparently known as The Marathon Whisperer. In her book <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://isbndb.com/book/9781642373264" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><em><strong>Me, You and 26.2</strong></em></a></span> (BlogintoBook.com, 2018) she offers her own accumulated experience, interspersed with first-hand accounts from novice marathon runners &ndash; all intended to persuade and support the virgin marathon runner.</p>
<p>Sauriol&rsquo;s personal journey was traumatically interrupted by an accident while out training which left her with several broken vertebrae, and caused her to re-think her attitude once she was, thankfully, able to return to running.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><img style="width: 100px; height: 161px; margin-left: 20px; align: right;" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51BxUQVcHeL._SX308_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg" alt="book" align="right" />The marathon, as one might expect, is the subject of many books that are published on the broad subject of running. But you will go some to find better advice than that offered by the late, and lamented, Sunday Times athletics correspondent, Cliff Temple, who also coached athletes to Olympic level.</p>
<p><em><strong><a href="http://isbndb.com/book/9780091743314" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Marathon, Cross Country and Road Running</span></a></strong></em> (Stanley Paul, 1990) is still available, and a classic &ndash; not least because of Cliff&rsquo;s ability to be funny and instructive at the same time. Opening a page at random &ndash; and it is page 147: &ldquo;The recurring rule of thumb for getting fitter is: Hard work plus rest equals success. Hard work, plus hard work, minus rest, equals injury.&rdquo;</p>
<p>Cliff sets out tables as a guide to starters on the marathon trail. He advises a year of training. But he knows what runners, and people, are like, so he also provides a six-month version. Even if you never run a marathon, you&rsquo;ll enjoy reading this.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><img style="width: 100px; height: 149px; margin-left: 20px; align: right;" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51nupEIQrsL._SX333_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg" alt="book" align="right" />In <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a title="Running Past Fifty" href="https://www.skyhorsepublishing.com/9781510736306/running-past-fifty/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><em><strong>Running Past Fifty</strong></em></a></span>, (Skyhorse Publishing 2018) lifelong runner Gail Waesche Kislevitz provides helpful tips and motivation from thirty-six runners aged fifty or older.</p>
<p>Kislevitz also interviews many ordinary senior runners, and some of the nation&rsquo;s greatest senior runners. The latter including the late Ed Whitlock, who, at 85, set an age-division world record of 3:56 in the marathon; Bill Rodgers, winner of four Boston Marathons and four New York City Marathons; George Hirsch, chairman of New York Road Runners; Olympian and author Jeff Galloway; world record holder Sid Howard; and runner and women&rsquo;s pioneer runner and advocate Kathrine Switzer.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><img style="width: 100px; height: 156px; margin-left: 20px; align: right;" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51NF4KBP4KL._SX301_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg" alt="book" align="right" />We&rsquo;re skipping back in time a bit here, but this famous athlete, in a revised version of his 50-year-old autobiography, references a letter he received from a contemporary &ndash; that is, 70-year-old &ndash; man from Lancashire.</p>
<p>The correspondent related how he had been inspired to start running by watching a cinema newsreel screening of what he describes as &ldquo;that wonderful race&rdquo;. That race was the one in which Roger Bannister broke the four-minute mile with his time of 3:59.4 at Iffley Road, Oxford.</p>
<p><img style="width: 100px; height: 153px; margin-left: 20px; align: right;" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51mRigc5OyL._SX324_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg" alt="book" align="right" />And Bannister&rsquo;s original book, written as elegantly as one might expect, has been updated and reincarnated as <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="https://www.thehistorypress.co.uk/publication/the-first-four-minutes/9780750935302/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><em><strong>The First Four Minutes</strong></em></a></span> (Sutton Publishing, 2004) and, three years before his death, <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="https://www.bitebackpublishing.com/books/twin-tracks" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><em><strong>Twin Tracks</strong></em></a></span> (Robson Press, 2015).</p>
<p>He recalls the moment when he made history. &ldquo;The last few seconds seemed never-ending. The faint line of the finishing tape stood ahead as a haven of peace, after the struggle&hellip; I leapt at the tape like a man taking his last spring to save himself from the chasm that threatens to engulf him.&rdquo;</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><img style="width: 100px; height: 134px; margin-left: 20px; align: right;" src="https://media.aws.iaaf.org/media/Original/20b51c5c-cbc0-424f-a912-337ba9deaecf.jpg" alt="book" align="right" />While we&rsquo;re in classics mode, there is another, still available book edited by the late, highly esteemed former Sunday Times journalist Norman Harris that is a box of delights. <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://isbndb.com/book/9781852250096" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><em><strong>Running &ndash; the Power and Glory</strong></em></a></span> (Partridge Press, 1986).</p>
<p>The selected pieces within take one through the history of athletics in irresistible fashion, starting with an account of how the great runners of their time, Walter G George of England and Scotland&rsquo;s William J Cummings, had met in 1886 at Lillie Bridge Stadium in London in what was the latest in a sequence of challenges over a mile. The description is taken from Kings of Distance, written by journalist and novelist Peter Lovesey. George wins, after effectively running the Scot into the ground.</p>
<p>Amid first-hand reports of great races, featuring Peter Snell, Ron Hill, Roger Bannister, Vladimir Kuts and Jack Lovelock, there is another account from Lovesey, forensically examining the performance at the 1952 Helsinki Olympics of another fabled athlete &ndash; Emil Zatopek.</p>

Books about running fall into two broad categories – celebration, and aspiration.

Athletics books library Zatopek Bannister Keflezighi

A dozen books to kick-start your athletics library

<p>Nanjing will be the centre of the athletics universe in March when the World Athletics Indoor Championships come to town, and those who make the trip to this culturally rich and bustling Chinese city won&rsquo;t be disappointed.</p>
<p>The capital of the Jiangsu province, it has a rich heritage, lying on the lower stretches of the Yangtze River. But while it boasts no shortage of ancient relics, it has very much advanced to the 21st Century, with a population today of more than eight million and a skyline of soaring skyscrapers.</p>
<p>This will be the first time in its 18 editions that the World Indoors take place in China and with the hosts having medal hopes across a range events, there should be a raucous atmosphere in the Nanjing Olympic Sports Centre Gymnasium for the three-day event, which begins on 13 March.</p>
<p>But what should athletics fans see and do, eat and drink, on their visit to Nanjing? We&rsquo;ve got you covered.</p>
<h3>Getting to the venue</h3>
<p>The 13,000-seater arena is located in the Nanjing Olympic Sports Centre, a huge facility covering over 400,000 square metres which is located in Hexi New City.</p>
<div id="5dbb06086eface02f4bf784e" class="dropMedia">
<div style="background-image: url('https://media.aws.iaaf.org/media/Small/47b99dcd-54df-4b7d-9b1a-35e0c3f83f37.jpg');">&nbsp;</div>
Nanjing Olympic Sports Centre</div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>It&rsquo;s accessible by public transport, and Nanjing has a hugely efficient, rapidly expanding metro system that runs from the centre of the city out to the suburbs. A stored value transport card is available for a deposit of 25 yuan (&euro;3) with a minimum top-up of 50 yuan (&euro;6). This can be used on buses, the metro and in taxis.</p>
<h3>Where to stay</h3>
<p>If you want to be close to the competition venue, there are a handful of good options within walking distance. One such place is the Jumeirah Nanjing Hotel which is 2km to the southwest of the Olympic Sports Centre Gymnasium, with double rooms costing approximately &euro;100-&euro;120 (US $110-$130) per night. Most hotels in Nanjing are geared towards domestic tourists, so it&rsquo;s worth having a translation app at the ready if you don&rsquo;t speak the language or else check with the hotel before if you fear something will get lost in translation. The most popular areas for tourists to stay in are Gu Lou, Xuan Wu and in the commercial centre, Xinjiekou. For those on a tight budget, there are a horde of options in chain budget hotels which usually cost less than 200 yuan (&euro;25/$28) per night.</p>
<h3>What to see</h3>
<p>Nanjing was the capital of 10 Chinese dynasties, including the Ming dynasty from 1368 to 1421. About one third of the Ming City Wall still stands today and visitors can stroll along this 600-year-old structure by accessing it at one of three former gates: Zhonghuamen, Taicheng or Shitoucheng. The first two charge a small admission fee with the latter free.</p>
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Ming Dynasty City Wall in Nanjing</div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>Other popular sites include Sun Yatsen&rsquo;s Mausoleum on Zijin Mountain, the Presidential Palace, Ming Emperor Tomb and the Memorial Hall of Victims in Nanjing Massacre. The Qixia Temple is also popular, while also worth visiting is the Xuanwu Lake Park, which was the largest imperial lake garden in China&rsquo;s history. In an area that&rsquo;s famous for historical landscapes, mountains and waters, it&rsquo;s worth taking a trip to Purple Mountain and Xuanwu Lake to take in the splendid scenery.</p>
<h3>Where to run</h3>
<p>If you&rsquo;re sufficiently motivated after watching the world&rsquo;s best athletes strut their stuff indoors, it&rsquo;s worth venturing into Nanjing&rsquo;s great outdoors to follow their lead. The city has plenty of great places to walk or run. A lap of the complex at the Nanjing Olympic Stadium, which stands alongside the competition venue, totals about 3km and is free from the traffic and congestion you&rsquo;ll encounter elsewhere.</p>
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<div style="background-image: url('https://media.aws.iaaf.org/media/Small/abefe7c0-e444-4fa2-9e6a-50783ad906a3.jpg');">&nbsp;</div>
Xuanwu Lake, Nanjing</div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>Purple Mountain is a hugely popular site for runners and walkers to the east of the city and along with being a lush green oasis away from the noise, it contains more than 200 heritage sites. Another good option is to do a loop around Xuanwu Lake, which is 9.2km in total, or to run along the path parallel to the Ming City Wall. For a small fee you can also enjoy a run along the top of the wall. Although the surface is cobbled, it&rsquo;s not too bumpy and in October this year more than 3,000 participants took part in the Nanjing Qinhuai City Wall Marathon. What better way to take several steps back in time?</p>
<h3>What to eat</h3>
<p>Nanjing is said to be the original home to Peking duck, which the Ming Dynasty brought north while moving the capital to Beijing in 1421. Xushang Xunfu is one of the few restaurants that carry the traditional Nanjing roast duck. Yanshuiya is a city speciality: it&rsquo;s duck cooked in brine which is then hung to dry for three days and served as chops, with the Plum Garden Restaurant in Jinling Hotel a good option to get the authentic thing for about 200 yuan (&euro;25/$28).</p>
<div id="5dbb0ee56eface02f4bf7853" class="dropMedia">
<div style="background-image: url('https://media.aws.iaaf.org/media/Small/553799cb-b53d-46e1-803e-0ff7eb02b7a3.jpg');">&nbsp;</div>
Street food in Nanjing</div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>Don&rsquo;t be afraid to sample the street food scene, with the Confucius Temple area and Shiziqiao Food Street the best areas to do so. There you can try local classics like steamed buns stuffed with pork, sesame pancakes and duck blood soup with fried tofu and vermicelli.</p>
<h3>Where to grab a drink</h3>
<p>China is, of course, a tea drinker&rsquo;s paradise, though whatever your preference is with hot drinks you won&rsquo;t have trouble finding your fix in Nanjing. For a great tea or coffee between sessions of athletics, Victoria Bay Cafe in Xinjiekou is worth a visit, as is the nearby Fish Tank Cafe. Skyways Bakery and Sculpting in Time Cafe are other great options that have an assortment of hot drinks and snacks with a laid-back vibe.</p>
<div id="5dbb578a6eface02f4bf7862" class="dropMedia">
<div style="background-image: url('https://media.aws.iaaf.org/media/Small/9220e1e1-5fe2-4b71-b2ca-7b1aab39703c.jpg');">&nbsp;</div>
Xinjiekou, downtown Nanjing</div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>If you&rsquo;re still wide awake after the athletics and looking to keep your buzz going, Nanjing has some great options to party the night away. There is a big cluster of bars and clubs around Shanghai Road and 1912 (54 North Taipang Road), an entertainment complex with revamped villas. American-owned Jimmy&rsquo;s on Shigu Road and Australian Blue Sky are popular sports bars that draw an expat crowd. Zuo Bar in the 1912 complex is well known for its cocktails while Sancho Panza is renowned for live music.</p>

Nanjing will be the centre of the athletics universe in March when the World Athletics Indoor Championships come to town, and those who make the trip to this culturally rich and bustling Chinese city won’t be disappointed. 

Nanjing China city guide tourism World Indoor Championships 2020

City guide - Nanjing

<p>Athletics takes place all over the world. But there are some places in the world &ndash; and in particular, some stadiums &ndash; that are steeped in historic track and field deeds, unique to that space, creating a uniquely rewarding experience for visiting followers of the sport.</p>
<p>All around the globe, athletics has its own cathedrals, places such as the Berlin Olympiastadion, the Letzigrund in Zurich, the Shanghai and Bird&rsquo;s Nest stadiums in China, and Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon &ndash; the latter currently in the midst of having aisles, nave and steeple completely rebuilt.</p>
<p>In such arenas, you focus on the inside lines of the track at the finish line. It&rsquo;s like staring at the Wembley Stadium goalposts. Here, right here, is where runners have felt the surging emotions of victory in world, European or Olympic competition. Or, a little later, the gutting drag of defeat.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h3>Olympiastadion, Berlin</h3>
<p>There is no more monumental an example of one of these athletics cathedrals than Berlin. Built to host the 1936 Olympics, it will forever be associated with the memory of Jesse Owens, the black US sprinter and jumper whose achievement of winning four gold medals defied the vision of the Games by the German Fuhrer, Adolf Hitler, as a showpiece for the Nazi Party&rsquo;s racist ideology.</p>
<p>Those memories and images have since been overlaid with other vivid events.</p>
<p>There are huge footballing reverberations &ndash; this stadium hosted FIFA World Cup matches in 1974 and 2006, including the 2006 final (as you look out across the infield, try and guess exactly where France&rsquo;s Zinedine Zidane was goaded into butting Italy&rsquo;s Marco Materazzi before being sent off&hellip;).</p>
<p>In 2009 it hosted one of the most memorable World Athletics Championships, where Jamaica&rsquo;s Usain Bolt, at the high point of a dizzying career, set the current world 100m and 200m records of 9.58 seconds and 19.19 respectively.<br /><br /></p>
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Usain Bolt of Jamaica on his way to setting the quickest 200m time in history in the Berlin Olympic Stadium during the IAAF World Championships in 2009</div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>Last year&rsquo;s European Championships were another landmark event, as 18-year-old Armand Duplantis won the pole vault gold for Sweden with a vault of 6.05m, and Norway&rsquo;s 17-year-old Jakob Ingebrigtsen took the 1500m and 5000m titles.</p>
<p>With its giant bowl of an arena set 12 metres below ground level, the stadium was renovated, but not rebuilt, in 2004. So while the interior looks and feels like something out of the modern day, a step outside takes you back more than 80 years. All the monumental features of the original, put together according to Hitler&rsquo;s personal wishes, have been retained.</p>
<p>Such is the richness of this sporting arena&rsquo;s history that you can go on conducted tours even when no competition is taking place. So you can arrive at the stadium between the twin towers of the Olympic Gate &ndash; both still inscribed with the Olympic rings, but with one no longer sporting its original Swastika.<br /><br /></p>
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Berlin's Olympiastadion</div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>Next to this entrance is the Podbielski Oak &ndash; named after politician Viktor von Podbielski, one of the original planners of the Olympic Games originally destined for Berlin for 1916. The oak was for Germany what the olive was for the hosts of the first modern Games in Greece, and winners at the 1936 Games received an oak wreath and seedlings.</p>
<p>You can take in the Bell Tower, reconstructed in 1962 after the initial version was set alight by invading Red Army forces in 1945. You can take in the monumental sculptures of men and horses on the stadium&rsquo;s perimeter.</p>
<p>There are pictures taken during the Games of winner&rsquo;s names being inscribed in the vast panels either side of the opening to the stadium at the Marathon Gate end by a craftsman working on a gantry. Nowadays you have to peer up to where he was. The Olympische Sieger lists are complete; set in stone.<br /><br /></p>
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Berlin's Olympiastadion from the Olympic park</div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>From there you can gaze past the cauldron which housed the Olympic flame, poised high on the rim of the stadium. At that moment on 1 August 1936, where you are standing was a global epicentre of interest.</p>
<p>You can also get to where the 1936 podium was, right where Jesse Owens stood, and look across to the specially-built box where Hitler sat.</p>
<p>In later years, the story was told &ndash; and not always discouraged by Owens himself &ndash; of how Hitler had snubbed him by refusing to shake his hand after his victories, his form of congratulation for German winners.</p>
<p>This was not so. Hitler had indeed shaken hands with all the German victors on the first day of competition, and with the three medal winners in the 10,000m, who were all from Finland, his future allies in the Second World War.</p>
<p>But Olympic officials then insisted he acknowledge publicly either all winners or none. Hitler chose the latter course.</p>
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<p><img style="width: 36px; height: 30px; margin-right: 10px;" src="https://media.aws.iaaf.org/media/Original/81c4a7bc-0343-49bf-bb66-3655e1b9b038.png" alt="route" align="left" /><strong>Getting to the Olympiastadion</strong></p>
<p>Olympiastadion is located in the west of Berlin, almost seven kilometres from the western end of the Kurf&uuml;rstendamm, and 10 kilometres from the Brandenburg Gate and Berlin&rsquo;s main railway station, Hauptbahnhof. It is part of the Olympic Park, which includes other sports facilities.</p>
<p>The stadium can be easily reached by metro (U-Bahn). Take either line U2 or U12, which both can be boarded at several points in the city centre. Get off at stop Olympia-Stadion. It takes about 25 minutes to reach the stadium from Potsdamer Platz, and about 15 minutes from Zoologische Garten.</p>
<p>Alternatively, you can get to the stadium by commuter rail (S-Bahn). Take either line S5 or S75 to station Olympiastadion. Both lines link the stadium with Berlin&rsquo;s major railway stations in the centre, as well with station Spandau in the west.</p>
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<h3>Letzigrund Stadium, Zurich</h3>
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Zurich's Letzigrund Stadium</div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>Zurich&rsquo;s Letzigrund Stadium, whose Weltkasse meeting has formed one of the two Diamond League finals since 2010, will become the sole venue for the 2020 and 2021 finals.</p>
<p>Such is its depth of quality that the Weltkasse is known by some as the &lsquo;Two-Hour Olympics&rsquo;. And by others as &lsquo;The Three-Hour Olympics&rsquo;. Anyway, you get the picture.</p>
<p>By the time the stadium originally constructed in 1925 was re-built in 2007, it had established a huge sequence of spectacular performances. And while only one world record has been set there since &ndash; Yelena Isinbayeva&rsquo;s pole vault clearance of 5.06m in 2009 became the 25th on the list &ndash; the level of entertainment has been maintained at the same giddy level.<br /><br /></p>
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The new Letzigrund stadium, Z&uuml;rich, Switzerland</div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>The new stadium fills roughly the same footprint as the old. You can still hear the drumming of palms on the advertising boards, offering encouragement or approval, even if it lacks some of the deafening levels the old acoustics enabled. You can still get a beer or a meal at the little corner caf&eacute; across the road, or sausages and mustard at the numerous stalls set up around.</p>
<p>This is where Armin Hary of Germany set the 100m world record of 10.00 in 1960, and where Britain&rsquo;s Sebastian Coe broke the 1500m and mile world records in 1979 and 1981 respectively, running 3:32.1 and 3:48.53.<br /><br /></p>
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Haile Gebrselassie's 12:41.86 World record at Letzigrund - 13 August 1997</div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>And where, in 1997, three world records were set on a single night as Haile Gebrselassie ran the 5000m in 12:41.86, Kenya&rsquo;s Wilson Boit Kipketer set a time of 7:59.08 in the 3000m steeplechase, and Wilson Kipketer of Denmark ran an 800m time of 1:41.24.</p>
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<p><img style="width: 36px; height: 30px; margin-right: 10px;" src="https://media.aws.iaaf.org/media/Original/81c4a7bc-0343-49bf-bb66-3655e1b9b038.png" alt="route" align="left" /><strong>Getting to the Letzigrund</strong></p>
<p>Letzigrund is located toward the west of the city of Z&uuml;rich, about 2.5 kilometres from Z&uuml;rich&rsquo;s city centre and 500 metres more from the main railway station.</p>
<p>The stadium can be reached from the city centre with tram 2. Take the tram from Paradeplatz in the direction of Farbhof. Get off at stop Letzigrund. Trams run very regularly and the journey takes just over 10 minutes.</p>
<p>From the main railway station (Hauptbahnhoff) you can take tram 3 toward Albisrieden or tram 14 toward Triemli. Get off at stop Stauffacher, and change to a tram 2. You can also take tram 3 to Albisriederplatz and walk 5 to 10 minutes from there to the stadium.</p>
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<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h3>Hayward Field, Eugene</h3>
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Hayward Field, the venue of the 2015 IAAF Diamond League meeting in Eugene</div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>If you&rsquo;re looking for an iconic athletics stadium to visit in the United States, you need look no further than Hayward Field, on the campus of the University of Oregon in Eugene &ndash; although you will need to wait until next year.</p>
<p>Originally constructed in 1919, and later named after track coach Bill Hayward, who died in 1947, the stadium is one of only five class-1 certified tracks in the United States, and is in the process of being completely rebuilt in time to host the World Athletics Championships in 2021.</p>
<p>The arena has hosted numerous US Championships and Olympic trials since 1972, as well as the annual Prefontaine Classic as part of the Diamond League programme.<br /><br /></p>
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Hayward Field in Eugene</div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>For many, the mention of Hayward Field conjures the image of the University of Oregon&rsquo;s late lamented Steve Prefontaine, the man who brought a new freshness, and huge talent, to distance running before missing out on a 5000m medal by one place at the 1972 Olympics and, tragically, dying in a car accident in 1975.</p>
<p>Those connected with Hayward Field have said the new incarnation will be &ldquo;the finest track and field facility in the world&rdquo;. The iconic East Grandkstand is now a historical memory, but the new stadium, we are assured, will be a cross between the Beijing Bird&rsquo;s Nest and the Los Angeles Rose Bowl.<br /><br /></p>
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A rendering of the new Hayward Field</div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>The design includes a nine-story tower topped by an observation deck that will provide a panoramic view of the area and is named the Bowerman Tower in honour of former Oregon coach and Nike co-founder Bill Bowerman.</p>
<p>&ldquo;We need a facility that will be built for the future,&rdquo; University of Oregon president Michael Schill said. &ldquo;And that&rsquo;s what this is.&rdquo;</p>
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<p><img style="width: 36px; height: 30px; margin-right: 10px;" src="https://media.aws.iaaf.org/media/Original/81c4a7bc-0343-49bf-bb66-3655e1b9b038.png" alt="route" align="left" /><strong>Getting to Hayward Field</strong></p>
<p>Hayward Field is a 30-minute drive from Eugene Airport. From Eugene bus station, take an eight-minute bus ride on the EMX-EUG and get off at &lsquo;Emx Agate Station&rsquo; stop.</p>
<p>Be sure to explore the surrounding &lsquo;Track Town&rsquo; area, too. You&rsquo;ll find shops, bars, restaurants and even barbershops with a track and field theme, many with fascinating memorabilia on display. The Wild Duck Caf&eacute; and Track Town Pizza are both worth a visit.</p>
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<h3>Shanghai Stadium</h3>
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Shanghai Stadium</div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>Since the Shanghai Stadium began hosting Diamond League meetings in 2010, there have been a succession of performances of similar stature to the skyscrapers that are increasingly populating the Pudong skyline in a city of more than 20 million people through which the huge, wide Huangpu River runs.</p>
<p>The second hosting of the Diamond League saw one of the athletics highlights of that year as home athlete Liu Xiang, the 2007 world and 2004 Olympic 110m hurdles champion, held off the challenge of USA&rsquo;s David Oliver to earn one of the last and most satisfying wins of his career.<br /><br /></p>
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Liu Xiang ends David Oliver's win streak in Shanghai</div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>The building highlights the city&rsquo;s rapid development as a tourist location, which was signalled by the 2010 hosting of the World Expo, drawing more than 73 million visitors. Usain Bolt came that year too &ndash; but an early morning flight meant he couldn&rsquo;t drop in at the expo.</p>
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<p><img style="width: 36px; height: 30px; margin-right: 10px;" src="https://media.aws.iaaf.org/media/Original/81c4a7bc-0343-49bf-bb66-3655e1b9b038.png" alt="route" align="left" /><strong>Getting to the Shanghai Stadium</strong></p>
<p>To reach the 56,000-capacity stadium, which was built in 1997 with a distinctive, saddle-shaped roof, take Shanghai Metro Line 4 to the Shanghai Stadium station. But be careful not to go to the next stop, which will instead deposit you at the Shanghai Indoor Stadium.</p>
<p>One ideal way of making sure you see all the action at the stadium is to book in at the hotel that is actually a part of it &ndash; the Regal Shanghai East Asia Hotel. Advantage: a very quick transition from hotel room to trackside seat. Disadvantage: a strange sense that you are existing in a dream, where one second you are in a hotel room and the next in a major international sporting venue.</p>
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Athletics takes place all over the world. But there are some places in the world – and in particular, some stadiums – that are steeped in historic track and field deeds, creating a uniquely rewarding experience for visiting followers of the sport.

Iconic athletics stadiums Berlin Hayward Shanghai Zurich

Iconic athletics stadiums to add to your bucket list

<p>If you've not seen - or at least heard of - these 10 movies, are you even a real athletics fan?!<br /><br /></p>
<h3>The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner</h3>
<p><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-9oaqrtBMtA" width="500" height="280" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p>
<p>The Bafta Award-winning British New Wave coming-of-age movie may be almost 60 years old, but it remains a timeless classic.</p>
<p>Focused on the story of rebellious youth Colin Smith (Tom Courtenay), who is sentenced to a borstal for his role in a bakery robbery, he turns to long-distance running as a means to escape the bleakness of confinement.</p>
<p>The gripping movie reaches an exciting crescendo when he is promised an early release if he runs for the reformatory institution in a race against a public school.</p>
<h3>Marathon Man</h3>
<p><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/swMqaf9TiTA" width="500" height="280" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p>
<p>A US suspense thriller starring Dustin Hoffmann as grad student and running obsessive Thomas 'Babe' Levy, who is pursued by Nazi war criminal Dr Christian Szell over a briefcase of missing diamonds.</p>
<p>One of the most sadistic dentistry scenes in cinematic history provides the more memorable moment of this 70s classic, which neatly draws upon Levy&rsquo;s memories of the heroic feats of two-time Olympic marathon champion Abeba Bikila to help him escape from the bad guys.</p>
<h3>Chariots of Fire</h3>
<p><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/odtqtlhsv4E" width="500" height="280" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p>
<p>The Academy Award-winning classic focuses on the stories British sprint duo Eric Liddell and Harald Abrahams on their journey to gold medal success at the 1924 Paris Olympics.</p>
<p>Liddell wins the 400m title for the glory of God. Abrahams, a British Jew, overcomes prejudice to clinch victory in the 100m. All played out to Vangelis&rsquo; iconic soundtrack, it is quite simply the most iconic running movie in history.</p>
<h3>Run FatBoy Run</h3>
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<p>A predictable plot should not detract from this moving, funny British rom-com.</p>
<p>Simon Pegg plays 'Fatboy' Dennis, the affable middle-aged loser who attempts to run a marathon to prove his worth to ex-fiancee Thandie Newton &ndash; whom he jilted at the altar.</p>
<p>Runners everywhere will appreciate the comedic references to everything from &lsquo;hitting the wall&rsquo; to painful blisters.</p>
<h3>Without Limits</h3>
<p><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/e2MpP3M9oCk" width="500" height="280" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p>
<p>The better of two biopics on the mythologised life of US running maverick Steve Prefontaine.</p>
<p>The Tom Cruise-produced movie focuses on the relationship between Prefontaine (Billy Cruddup) and his coach and Nike co-founder Bill Bowerman (Donald Sutherland). <em>Without Limits</em> explores the gutsy front-running tactics of Prefontaine, his disappointment at the 1972 Munich Olympics and fatal car crash.</p>
<h3>The Athlete</h3>
<p><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/kTRqs7oRyN0" width="500" height="280" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p>
<p>The film of the life of Ethiopian distance running icon Abebe Bikila has much to admire.</p>
<p>The film focuses on his 1960 marathon triumph at the Rome Olympics, which he won barefoot to become the first sub-Saharan African to win an Olympic gold medal, and his subsequent defence of the title in Tokyo.</p>
<p><em>The Athlete</em> also charts Bikila's paralysis following a car accident in 1968 and his journey to later competing in archery, table tennis and winning a cross country sleigh race before his premature death.</p>
<h3>The Jericho Mile</h3>
<p><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-XvILNCff7c" width="500" height="280" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p>
<p>The Emmy Award-winning made-for-TV movie is another which combines prison with running life.</p>
<p>Larry 'Rain' Murphy (Peter Strauss), who is serving a life imprisonment for the first degree murder of his abusive father, relieves the boredom of prison life by running laps around the prison recreation yard. A prison warden spots his talent and allows the felon to train for the Olympic Trials.</p>
<h3>Personal Best</h3>
<p><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/_doF0RCwVdg?start=12" width="500" height="280" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p>
<p>Featuring Olympic hurdler Patrice Donnelly in one of the lead roles, this 1982 movie focuses on a group of women trying to qualify for the 1980 Moscow Olympics.</p>
<p>However, the subsequent boycott by the USA of the Games for political reasons means the group is left with the consolation of just their personal best performances.</p>
<p>Many track and field stars of the day play in the film including 1972 Olympic marathon champion Frank Shorter and 1984 Olympic 100m gold medallist Evelyn Ashford.</p>
<h3>Cliffy</h3>
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<p>Kevin Harrington plays the 61-year-old Australian potato farmer Cliff Young who captured the hearts of a nation by beating the world&rsquo;s best distance runners in the inaugural Sydney to Melbourne ultramarathon in 1983.</p>
<p>The vegetarian, tee-total, virgin, who lived with his mother, defied the odds to claim a famous victory by running for 18 hours a day.</p>
<h3>Gallipoli</h3>
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<p>Not exclusively a running movie but one which has running at its core, young Australian sprinter Archy (Mel Gibson) has his track career shelved due to World War I.</p>
<p>During the course of the movie, Archy is forced to use his gifts by running messages through the trenches. An inspiring, backs-against-the-wall war movie with a large dollop of running action.</p>

If you've not seen - or at least heard of - these 10 movies, are you even a real athletics fan?!

Movies films running athletics

Ten movies every athletics fan should see

<p>Imagine you were on your own personal road trip to tick off significant locations within Britain&rsquo;s rich athletics history. Where could you start, and where could you end?</p>
<h3><img style="width: 30px; height: 25px; margin-right: 10px;" src="https://media.aws.iaaf.org/media/Original/81c4a7bc-0343-49bf-bb66-3655e1b9b038.png" alt="route" align="left" />Brighton</h3>
<p>Don&rsquo;t take this as gospel, but say you were starting at the bottom and working your way up &ndash; in the time honoured manner of all aspiring athletes &ndash; you could perhaps begin your pilgrimage at <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=St%20John%20the%20Baptist%20Church%20in%20Church%20Road%2C%20Brighton&amp;oq=St+John+the+Baptist+Church+in+Church+Road%2C+Brighton&amp;aqs=chrome..69i57j69i64l2.888j0j4&amp;sourceid=chrome&amp;ie=UTF-8&amp;npsic=0&amp;rflfq=1&amp;rlha=0&amp;rllag=50831898,-145404,1939&amp;tbm=lcl&amp;rldimm=5008103409987572745&amp;ved=2ahUKEwjt5I_1-cPlAhVEsaQKHSLnDwUQvS4wAHoECAoQEg&amp;rldoc=1&amp;tbs=lrf:!2m1!1e2!3sIAE,lf:1,lf_ui:2&amp;rlst=f#rlfi=hd:;si:;mv:[[50.8459195,-0.12383680000000001],[50.817878199999996,-0.1669718]]" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>St John the Baptist Church</strong></span></a> in Church Road, Brighton. One low iron railings of which, in late 1981, impaled itself into the thigh of Britain&rsquo;s Olympic 800m champion Steve Ovett as he ran momentarily out of control on a training run through the streets of his native town.</p>
<p>That ruined his 1982 season. Ovett recovered, and set a 1500m world record of 3:30.77 at Rieti the following year, but many felt he was never the same athlete again, despite the fact that he reached the 1984 Olympic 800 and 1500m finals, during which he was suffering respiratory problems and chest pains, and that he won the 1986 Commonwealth 5000m title in Edinburgh.</p>
<p>You could then, if you were so minded, wander over to Preston Park, where a statue of the local hero was erected. Only to discover it had been stolen in 2007. You could then move on to Madeira Drive, where a replacement now stands &ndash; before heading off for shopping in The Lanes and a wander down the pier.</p>
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Steve Ovett statue in Brighton</div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h3><img style="width: 30px; height: 25px; margin-right: 10px;" src="https://media.aws.iaaf.org/media/Original/81c4a7bc-0343-49bf-bb66-3655e1b9b038.png" alt="route" align="left" />Crystal Palace</h3>
<p>Where next on your bucket list tour of significant UK athletics sites? From Brighton station it will take just over an hour and a half to go directly to <a href="https://tfl.gov.uk/overground/stop/910GCRYSTLP/crystal-palace-rail-station?lineId=london-overground" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Crystal Palace station</strong></span></a>.</p>
<p>Ten minutes&rsquo; stroll, and you are at a historic epicentre of British athletics &ndash; albeit downgraded following construction of the London Stadium in time to host track and field at the London 2012 Olympics.</p>
<p>Throughout the 1970s and most of the 1980s, this modest stadium set in the ample parkland of a site chosen for the original Crystal Palace built for the 1851 Great Exhibition - and which burned down in 1936 &ndash; hosted the Amateur Athletic Association Championships when they were the pre-eminent meet of the British calendar.</p>
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Crystal Palace Stadium</div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>From 1999 to 2012 this sunken bowl also hosted the annual, and usually two-day London Grand Prix, which served as an IAAF Diamond League meeting for the last three of those years.</p>
<p>This arena witnessed the likes of British athletes such as Brendan Foster, Alan Pascoe, Ian Stewart, Dave Bedford, David Jenkins, Steve Ovett, Sebastian Coe, Roger Black, Colin Jackson, Steve Cram, Sally Gunnell, Steve Backley, Linford Christie and Jonathan Edwards operating at their peak.</p>
<p>On the Friday evening before the main fare of the 1973 AAA Championships was laid out over the weekend, Dave Bedford smashed the world 10,000m record with an audacious individual run, recording 27:30.80 to take almost eight seconds off the mark of Finland&rsquo;s Olympic champion Lasse Viren.</p>
<p>The following day I turned up in a school party and got autographs from Foster, Jenkins and Pascoe. But you don&rsquo;t need to know this.</p>
<p>Later that year, Foster broke the&nbsp;world record&nbsp;for two miles on this track with a time of 8:13.68.</p>
<p>It saw an epic mile race in 1983 between the newly-established world 1500m champion, Cram, and Ovett, with the former edging the verdict.</p>
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Steve Backley after breaking the javelin world record at Crystal Palace</div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>In 1990, another Briton set a world mark in this south London arena as Backley hurled the javelin out to 90.98m to reclaim the record from Jan Zelezny of the Czech Republic.</p>
<p>British 400m runner Conrad Williams recently described Crystal Palace as &ldquo;our Wembley of track and field&rdquo;. But he did so in defence of an arena that is currently under threat of being bulldozed for redevelopment. That would be awful. It&rsquo;s a lovely spot. Go and see it, and take a picnic for the parkland around it.</p>
<h3><img style="width: 30px; height: 25px; margin-right: 10px;" src="https://media.aws.iaaf.org/media/Original/81c4a7bc-0343-49bf-bb66-3655e1b9b038.png" alt="route" align="left" />Wembley Stadium</h3>
<p>Wembley, of course &ndash; the old Twin Towers Wembley that is &ndash; hosted the 1948 Olympics. The new stadium is built partly on the footprint of the one which witnessed, among many other splendid things, Fanny Blankers-Koen winning four gold medals, a feat which earned her the title as the IAAF&rsquo;s Female Athlete of the Century. (To which she responded with incredulity: &ldquo;You mean&hellip;it is me?&rdquo;)</p>
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The start of the 1948 Olympic men's marathon at London's Wembley Stadium</div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>Tours of the stadium, which houses a mass of memorabilia from the old Wembley, can be readily booked online at <a href="http://www.wembleystadium.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>wembleystadium.com</strong></span></a>.</p>
<p>To get there by Tube, you need <a href="https://tfl.gov.uk/tube/stop/940GZZLUWYP/wembley-park-underground-station/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Wembley Stadium</strong></span></a>, two stops along the Metropolitan Line from Baker Street.</p>
<p>There are two standard exhibitions at Wembley, and if athletics is your main interest you need to get yourself up to the one based in the Lioness Bar, where there are photos, stories and other items connected with the 1948 Olympics, along with one of the flags used in the Opening Ceremony.</p>
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A plaque at Wembley Stadium listing the 1948 Olympic champions</div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>If you want to see the two huge plaques detailing 1948 athletics gold medallists, which lined one of the old Wembley entrances for half a century and were transferred to the new Wembley ahead of the London 2012 Games &ndash; well, you&rsquo;d be advised to go there in about a year&rsquo;s time. They are currently being stored to avoid harm during extensive renovations&hellip;</p>
<h3><img style="width: 30px; height: 25px; margin-right: 10px;" src="https://media.aws.iaaf.org/media/Original/81c4a7bc-0343-49bf-bb66-3655e1b9b038.png" alt="route" align="left" />White City Stadium</h3>
<p>Were you so minded, you could detour and visit another great British athletics spot &ndash; the site of the White City stadium that hosted the 1908 Olympics, with the wobbling Dorando Pietri finish to the marathon, Arthur Conan-Doyle and other officials at his side.</p>
<p>If there were an HG Wells time machine available, that struggling crew would probably now find itself in one of the waste disposal areas of the flats now built on that sacred ground in Wood Lane, collectively named White City Place, which were initially part of a BBC media village.<br /><br /></p>
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Sydney Wooderson defeats Jack Lovelock (NZL) at London's White City stadium in 1935</div>
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<p>Before they moved to Crystal Palace, the AAA Championships were held at the White City from 1932 to 1970, and it was on this track in 1954 that Chris Chataway dramatically beat Vladimir Kuts, bettering the Russian&rsquo;s 5000m world record in the process.</p>
<p>If you wish to make this faintly mournful pilgrimage, <a href="https://tfl.gov.uk/tube/stop/940GZZLUWCY/white-city-underground-station/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>White City Tube station</strong></span></a>, on the Central Line, deposits you on Wood Lane itself.</p>
<h3><img style="width: 30px; height: 25px; margin-right: 10px;" src="https://media.aws.iaaf.org/media/Original/81c4a7bc-0343-49bf-bb66-3655e1b9b038.png" alt="route" align="left" />London Stadium</h3>
<p>The current epicentre of athletics in the capital is, of course, the London Stadium that hosted the London 2012 track and field action and also staged the last IAAF World Championships in 2017, as well as providing the regular venue for the two-day London Diamond League meeting from 2013 onwards.</p>
<p>Tours of this arena, now the regular home of Premier League West Ham United, are <a href="https://www.london-stadium.com/event/stadium-tours-tickets-sale-now" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>available</strong></span></a>. (<a href="https://www.queenelizabetholympicpark.co.uk/the-park/plan-your-visit/getting-here" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Here's</strong></span></a> how you get there.)</p>
<p>While the track is mostly under cover for football purposes, you can wander round the indoor warm-up track and there is a certain amount of athletics memorabilia, including a medals wall tribute to a range of gold medallists, on offer, as well as media recordings of highlights such as Usain Bolt&rsquo;s 2012 Olympic victories, and Super Saturday, when home athletes Mo Farah, Jess Ennis and Greg Rutherford earned gold in the 5000m, heptathlon and long jump respectively.</p>
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Mo Farah wins the 2012 Olympic 5000m title in London</div>
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<p>Come next January, however, athletics fans will get a bigger bang for their buck as there are plans to open a permanent London 2012 exhibition, with discussions currently underway with the International Olympic Committee.</p>
<p>Before you leave London, you may want to travel one stop up from Victoria, on the Victoria Line, to <a href="https://tfl.gov.uk/tube/stop/940GZZLUGPK/green-park-underground-station/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Green Park</strong></span></a>. Where you will soon be able to arrive at The Mall which, since 1994, has been the location of the finishing line in the London Marathon.</p>
<p>The elation, emotion, exhaustion generated over those few hundred final metres, down the years. You can almost feel it. It is a location indelibly registered in the minds of many, many thousands of British runners.</p>
<p>Next stop &ndash; by rail, London Paddington to <a href="https://www.gwr.com/plan-journey/stations-and-routes/oxford" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Oxford</strong></span></a>. About an hour. Why are we here? Oh come on, please. May 6, 1954? Thank you&hellip;</p>
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Sign outside Iffley Road Track</div>
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<p><em><br />So far, three places in Britain have been honoured with a <a href="https://www.iaaf.org/heritage/plaque?area=&amp;country=GBR&amp;searchText=&amp;sort=" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Heritage plaque</strong></span></a>, the award instituted in December last year to celebrate venues that have made outstanding contributions to the history and development of athletics.</em></p>

Imagine you were on your own personal road trip to tick off significant locations within Britain’s rich athletics history. Where could you start, and where could you end?