Alla Virgin Money London Marathon (34^ ed.) che si è disputata il 13 aprile 2014, i primi a partire, alle 8.55 sono stati i disabili alla testa dei quali gli Elite Wheelchair Men e subito dopo le donne Elitevsu carrozzina, entrambi i gruppi seguiti da tutte le altre categorie di disabili di composizione internazionale, visto che la gara per disabili - con specifico regolamento - era valida come IPC Athletics Marathon World Cup 2014.
Solo nella categoria wheelchair, si è trattato di una gara affollatissima, il cui passaggio a Tower Bridge, all'incirca a metà maratona, con gruppi che combattevano furiosamente per la supremazia ha suscitato forti emozioni in tutti i presenti e lunghissimi applausi.
Il gesto atletico dell'uomo o della donna in Wheelchair è di grande potenza ed esprime una perfetta simbiosi tra l'Uomo e la sua protesi.
I corridori su wheelchair sono degli Uomini e delle Donne trasfigurati e trasformati tutti - dal primo all'ultimo - in icona che ci dice che tutto è possibile, anche ciò che, a prima vista, sembrerebbe possibile. Un'icona che in qualche modo unisce in sè le caratteristiche di "guerrieri" della modernità, come possono esserlo i piloti di Formula 1, quando indossano i loro paramenti cerimoniali che possono richiamare alla mente antichi cavalieri medievali sui loro destrieri con le loro armature, pronti a scendere in combattimento o a cimentarsi in un Torneo. E quando camminano ed imprimono l'impulso alle ruote il loro gesto ripetuto, con quella ritimica apertura delle braccia a prendere lo slancio fa pensare ad un branco di cigni che battono le ali, per prendere velocità ed alzarsi in volo dalla superficie dell'acqua.
Guardano alle prestazioni, non bisogna sorprendersi i crono realizzati in maratona dagli uomini e dalle donne su wheelchair sono sensibilmente più alti di quelli ottenuti su handbike (pensiamo, ad esempio, alla prestazione di Alex Zanardi alla Maratona di Roma 2014), ma le handbike sono in realtà delle bici da corsa azionate a forza di braccia e di spalle e hanno il supporto del cambio di velocità e della moltiplica, per sfrutare al massimo il giro delle pedivelle che assicurano la locomozione.

Le wheelchair, invece, vanno in "presa diretta" e richiedono una prestazione muscolare molto più intensa e massiccia: nel campo della prestazione sportiva paralimpica la prestazione su handbike viene piuttosto assimilata alla performance ciclistica, mentre viene assimilato al gesto della corsa quello dell'uomo/donna su wheelchair.


Del resto, in quest'edizione della Virgin Money London Marathon, il fronte dei partenti disabili, con tutti i tipi di disabilità, era vastissimo, visto che la maratona era valida come "IPC Athletics Marathon World Cup".
E, quindi, in consderazione dell'importanza dell'evento paralimpico all'interno dell'evento, erano rappresentate tutte le categorie di disabili, provenienti da molti e lontani paesi del mondo: moltissimi gli ipo-non vedenti (T11-13), con una rappresentazione internazionale, per esempio. Non vedenti accompagnati, come da noi, per mezzo del classico cordino legato al polso. Ma qui, l'accompagnatore non gareggia, né deve indossare un pettorale (ottenuto pagando una quota d'iscrizione), ma semplicemente è tenuto ad indossare un giubbino regolamentare giallo con la dicitura "Guide". Pragmaticamente, si vuole fare in modo che nel caso dei non vedenti sia ben chiaro chi sta gareggiando.

Tra le categorie di disabili con arti danneggiati (T42-46) anche il britannico Richard Whitehead (T42), massimo rappresentante dei runner con delle disabilità derivanti da danni o amputazioni agli arti inferiori e Campione del Mondo di Maratona corsa su protesi e titolare del record di Maratona corsa su protesi.
Di recente Richard Whitehead ha preso parte a delle gare su distanze ancora più impegnative della maratona, ma ha voluto  partecipare a questa gara che gli è congeniale e che per lui rappresenta una "classica" distanza.

Così Whitehead ha dichiarato alla vigilia della Virgin Money London Marathon: "The marathon represents who I am as a person and gives me the opportunity to show what I'm all about," said 37-year-old Whitehead, who ran a lifetime best of 2:42:52 in Chicago 2010, the quickest ever by a man in his class, and broke the official IPC world record to become last year's T42/43 IPC Athletics Marathon World Cup champion. The marathon is a really inclusive event where anyone can compete or spectate, and it's liberating to get involved," said Whitehead. "As athletes, the World Cup event gives us a great platform to showcase what we can do and highlights our ability. It's a legacy from London 2012."

IPC Athletics and the Virgin Money London Marathon will hold the IPC Athletics Marathon World Cup on 13 April as part of the 2014 Virgin Money London Marathon.

In addition to the annual wheelchair race featuring T53-T54 athletes, this new event will also feature IPC Athletics classes T42-46 (leg and arm amputees) and T11-T13 (visually impaired) for both men and women and in 2014 we are pleased to announce that we will incorporate a T51-T52 event into the Marathon World Cup.
Quello che segue è il comunicato lanciato dall'Ufficio stampa della Virgin Money London Marathon 2014, con i risultati ottenuti. 

IPC World Cup report: World record goes to Rodriguez as Chentouf retains his title. 

El Amin Chentouf retained his title in the T11-13 visually impaired men's race, one of five IPC Athletics Marathon World Cup races featuring in today's Virgin Money London Marathon.

The Moroccan stormed home in 2:25:07, just one minute and seven seconds slower than his world record time of 2:24:00 - set here at the inaugural IPC Marathon World Cup in 2013 - well ahead of Tunisian Abderrahim Zhiou who finished two minutes 37 seconds later in 2:27:44. Portugal's Gabriel Macchi was third in 2:40:24.

In the women's T11-13 race, Maria del Carmen Paredes Rodriguez retained her title and smashed the official world record she set a year ago, to win in a time of 2:59:22.

The Japanese duo of Misato Michishita and Mihoko Nishijimi came second and third with times of 3:09:40 and 3:20:18 respectively. Michishita is ranked number one in the world in the T12 category after setting her personal best of 3:06:32 at the Hofu Marathon in Japan in December 2013.

Great Britain's Richard Whitehead won the T42 race, coming home in 3:42:04, considerably slower than the world record of 3:15:53, which he set here last year.

In the T44-46 men's category, Brazil's Tito Sena - who won T46 marathon gold at the London 2012 Paralympics - once again enjoyed success on the streets of London as he won in 2:35:45, ahead of Alessandro Di Lello of Italy, who finished in 2:41:05, and compatriot Ezequiel Da Costa, who came home in 2:47:17.

The other IPC Athletics Marathon World Cup event featured the T51/52 wheelchair men's race, where Santiago Sanz came out on top.

The Spaniard recorded a time of 1:58:16 to edge out American Raymond Martin (2:00:35) and Great Britain's Rob Smith, who finished in 2:09:33.

Categorie sport per disabili

Ulteriori informazioni sulla IPC Athletics Marathon World Cup

Una pioggia di record è caduta su Casa Kenya alla Virgin Money London Marathon 2014, disputatasi il 13 aprile 2014. Wilson Kipsang è stato il più veloce con un crono finale 2h04'09, ha battuto il record della gara londinese, precedentemente stabilito da Emmanuel Mutai (nel 2012): una conclusione fulminante, quella di Kipsang, con un distacco non molto grande dal connazionale Biwott che non era stato considerato nel pre-gara uno dei maggiori favoriti della corsa, in 2h04'55: si è realizzato così un piccolo record nella maratona, che è stata dei record, quello di due piazzamenti sotto le 2h04' nell'intera storia della Maratona di Londra.

Moh Farah si è dovuto accontentare di un'ottavo posto con un tempo attorno alle 2h08', niente male per un esordiente in maratona, tuttavia.
Ha detto Mo Farah, che ha mantenuto sempre il suo simpatico ed accativante sorriso, "E' stato un giorno di ufficio andato male", intendendo dire che di giorni migliori per la maratona ne verranno altri: ma questo inizio è indubbiamente promettente, anche se non è facile trapiantare nella 42,195 un campione in distanze inferiori. Occorre sicuramente un tempo di maturazione, per quanto ci sia la stoffa.

Tra le donne Edna Kiplagat, invece, non solo ha infranto il record femminile della corsa, ma ha stabilito un nuovo record mondiale con 2h20'21. seguita dalla connazionale omonima Florence Kiplagat con un distacco di soli 3", in uno sprint finale davvero emozionante.

Altro piccolo record tra i record: si è trattato del finale più ravvicinato dal 1997, quando la kenyana Joyce Kepchumba sprintò sulla britannica Liz McColgan, sopravanzandola sul filo di lana di un secondo soltanto in 2h26'21.
Grande emozione ha suscitato nel folto pubblico lo sprint finale di Edna Kiplagat che ha detto subito dopo: "Ho avuto il presentimento che in questa maratona avrei dovuto avere una riserva in più di energia e, quindi, nella fase finale di avvicinamento alla gara, ho curato molto gli allenamenti di velocità e di sprint". 

Sono stati confermati o conquistati dei titoli nelle diverse categorie disabili: tra questi, Richard Whitehead si è rincofermato re mondiale della Maratona (nella categoria T42).

Oltre 40 record da Guinness erano sotto esame di cui alcuni nuovi ed altri precedentementi stabiliti. 29 di essi sotto stati frantumati e, tra i nuovi record, vi è quello della donna che ha corso la maratona più velocemente travestita da carta da gioco e il più veloce runner vestito da Bebé.

Tutti hanno perseguito il loro obiettivo, divertendosi: chi semplicemente cercando di arrivare ino al traguardo finale in maniera onorevole (o senza nemmeno preoccuparsi di questo), chi cercando di perseguire il suo obiettivo di raccogliere fondi per una causa caitatevole.
Molti hanno corso vestiti da rinoceronte per raccogliere fondi a favore della campagna "Save the Rhino".

Altro record è stato quello dei finisher. 36.621 sono stati gli iscritti, mentre i partenti a Greenwich sono stati 36.337. Di questi 35.864 hanno tagliato il traguardo situato in The Mall,200  metri dopo il passaggio dalla piazza antistante Buckingham Palace.

Lungo il percorso - altro record, per finire - sono stati presenti oltre 750.000 spettatori.

Record crowds roar Kenyans home in London (Press Release) Record crowds were rewarded with two course records and one world record at the 34th Virgin Money London Marathon today as Kenyans Wilson Kipsang and Edna Kiplagat won two thrilling elite races in the glorious London sunshine, while Tatyana McFadden and Marcel Hug raced to victory in the wheelchair event.

London 2012 rowing gold medallists Katherine Grainger and Anna Watkins set 36,337 runners on their way from Greenwich this morning after 36,621 had registered to run by close of play on Saturday at the London Marathon Expo. By 6pm this evening, 35,864 runners had crossed the famous finish line on The Mall after passing more than three quarters of a million spectators along the route.

Fastest on the day was marathon world record holder Wilson Kipsang who ran a perfectly judged race to win in 2:04:29, beating his countryman Stanley Biwott by 26 seconds, and slicing Emmanuel Mutai’s three-year-old course record by 11 seconds.

“It's really great to win the London Marathon again,” - Kipsang said after the race. - “I feel I performed very well here today. There were a lot of strong guys in the field, and it was a tactical race, but my plan worked well.”

Never among the pre-race favourites, Biwott surprised everyone to place second, clocking 2:04:55 to ensure two men finished in under 2:05 for the first time in 34 races.

Mo Farah’s much-anticipated marathon debut ended in disappointment as the double world and Olympic track champion failed in his bid to break the long-standing British record, finishing tired and drained in eighth place, his time of 2:08:21 more than a minute outside his target.

“I just had a bad day at the office,” he said afterwards.

The Kenyan one-two in the men’s race was matched in the women’s, where Edna Kiplagat made it third-time lucky after being runner up here for the last two years.

She ran the fastest ever marathon by a 34-year-old to finish in 2:20:21, just three seconds ahead of her namesake, the unrelated Florence Kiplagat, after a sprint finish down the final 200m to the finish gantry in The Mall.

It was the closest finish since 1997 when another Kenyan, Joyce Chepchumba, outsprinted Britain’s Liz McColgan to win by a single second in 2:26:21.

Edna Kiplagat revealed afterwards that she’d adjusted her training because she had a feeling that today’s race might require a strong kick in the closing stages.

“I focused on speedwork in training, because I thought I might need a good sprint finish to win today and at long last that’s what I’ve done,” said Kiplagat.

Florence Kiplagat finished second in 2:20:24, while Ethiopian track star Tirunesh Dibaba was third on her marathon debut after dropping her drinks bottle at the 30km mark. Dibaba lost touch with the Kiplagats as she stopped to pick it up but hung on to clock an impressive 2:20:35.

Defending champion McFadden proved that she is still the dominant force in women’s wheelchair racing as she retained her crown with ease, smashing her course record in 1:45:12 to win by nearly a minute.

World champion Manuela Schar was second for Switzerland on her London debut, just ahead of Japan’s former London champion Wakako Tsuchida, while Britain's Shelly Woods was ninth.

Switzerland’s Marcel Hug won the men’s wheelchair contest denying Britain's David Weir in his bid for a record seventh title. After placing second three times in London, the Swiss racer got it right at last as crossed the line a second clear of Weir in 1:32:41.

El Amin Chentouf was again the first athlete home in the IPC Athletics Marathon World Cup, the Moroccan world champion defending his T11-13 title in 2:25:07, more than a minute outside his world record from 12 months ago.

In the women’s T11-13 race, Spain’s Maria del Carmen Paredes Rodriguez smashed the official world record she set a year ago to retain her title in 2:59:22.

Britain’s Richard Whitehead delighted the record London crowds as he cruised around the course in 3:42:04 to win the T42 race.

Behind the stars, thousands of runners chased times and fundraising targets, turning the streets of London into a colourful parade as club runners, fun runners, celebrities and Guinness World Records chasers enjoyed the perfect sunshine, many pledging to transform their 26.2-mile challenge into millions of pounds for charity.

Former Team Sky cyclist Chris Newton put in an impressive performance to lead the celebrity runners home in 2:45:10, while ex-England footballer Michael Owen finished an hour later in 3:45:43.

Game of Thrones actress Natalie Dormer was one of the fastest female celebrities in 3:50:57, while Shadow Chancellor Ed Balls achieved his goal of a sub-five-hour marathon when he finished in 4:57:40, beating his previous best by more than 15 minutes.

The fastest of the eight MPs was Conservative Alun Cairns who ran his best time of 3:34:16 to beat Labour’s Dan Jarvis who also set a PB of 3:45:08.

More than 40 Guinness World Records were targeted in today's race and 29 broken, including fastest marathon dressed as a baby by Ali King in 2:51:18, and fastest as a playing card by Lisa Wright in 4:23:57.

The ballot to enter the 2015 Virgin Money London Marathon opens on Tuesday 22 April 2014.

The Guinness World Record judges will once again have a busy day at the Virgin Money London Marathon on Sunday, with more than 40 categories being targeted by marathon entrants.

These include the fastest marathon on crutches, the fastest wearing chainmail and the fastest in high heels.

One of the most impressive feats, however, is being attempted by Tony Phoenix-Morrison who will run his 150th marathon, his 62nd carrying a 42kg fridge on his back.

The 49-year-old, who previously ran the length of Britain in 40 days with the fridge, must finish in less than five hours to break the record for carrying a household appliance.

Phoenix-Morrison has been known to suffer from a sore ‘tortoise' neck after running with the fridge, but otherwise is in surprisingly great physical shape.

"People ask about back problems but I had an MRI scan last year and I'm very fortunate - the results were fabulous," he said. "I'm in the top 1% of people of my age in the world back-wise. The chap said I have the back of a 16-year-old. Pity I don't have the face."

He is running for Cancer Research UK and has reason to be grateful for modern technology.

"In the old days we used to have a hole in the side which said donate here," he explained. "But people would come along with buckets of coins. Children would be lined up to put money in and we'd end up with a 60kg fridge. Now we're fortunate it's just a text code for people to donate."

John Melbourne will run dressed as a chicken attempting to break the record for fastest man to complete a marathon in a full-body animal costume.

An experienced marathon runner, he is raising money for the British Hen Welfare Trust and explained the thinking behind his idea.

"I've done about 30 marathons and 10 ultra-marathons and I run consistently 60 or 70 miles a week - anything up to 100 miles," he said. "I love doing big events and pushing myself. I thought ‘What's the next thing I could try?' So I came up with the chicken costume."

The record stands at 3 hours 31 minutes and was completed by someone dressed as a gorilla. "The chicken will beat the gorilla on Sunday," joked Melbourne.

Karen Shrimpton is one of four women attempting to run the fastest marathon in a four-person costume, dressed in a Michael Morpurgo-inspired ‘War Horse' suit called ‘Colin'.

The Chichester-based group have mainly trained with different friends to fit into hectic schedules, but have completed 10-mile, 15-mile and 20-mile runs along sea-fronts where they find there's more room for the large outfit.

"In 2006 a group of friends and myself ran the London Marathon as a pantomime horse," explained Shrimpton. "Then we went to see 'War Horse' on stage and saw the puppets. We thought that's the thing to run in. I managed to con my colleague Penny Patten to do it and got her husband to make us the war horse. We ran in 2011and 2012 but a company in Chichester informed us they could make a much lighter one out of fibreglass and they made us this wonderful present. Four people can carry him so we're going for the world record."

Shrimpton, Patten, Debbie Bell and Sharon Ellis will aim to finish in seven hours to raise money for the Royal British Legion.

Sid Keyte, 43, from Salisbury is running dressed as a telephone box to raise money for the mental health charity, Mind. He needs to beat six hours for the record.

"I've confused a lot of people on Salisbury Plain where I train," he said. "Tank commanders, dogs and horses have all had issues with me. Drivers on the road are quite dangerous too.

"You get two types of drivers, those who slam their horn and shout ‘woohoo', and those who turn to their partner and ask them to look the other way because there's a mad guy running around in a phone box. So, I've had some challenges."

Sally Orange has had her share of challenges too. She has served in the British army as a physiotherapist and previously ran a marathon inside Camp Bastion in Afghanistan. Despite her name, she is running as a Pink Lady apple, aiming to break her own record for fastest marathon dressed as a fruit (female).

Something of a fruit obsessive, she has previously run as a banana, an orange and a pear. Orange, who'll be raising money for Combat Stress and Help for Heroes, explained: "The banana was more streamlined but Pink Lady have actually sponsored me for this and have been fantastic with their support.

"Both charities are close to my heart. Having served in Afghanistan, I understanding what those charities are able to do to help people. I've seen people in Camp Bastion on the operating table, all the way through to when I worked at a recovery centre for Help for Heroes. The 40-year-old from Stafford already has one eye on the future, adding: 'I've seen a nice pineapple, and a kumquat'.

Hopefully, at least some of these hard-working marathoners will add their names to the roster of Guinness World Record breakers on Sunday.

Tre vincitori di medaglie d'Oro olimpiche britanniche ai Giochi 2012 daranno lo start alla Virgin Money London Marathon 2014, il 13 aprile e saranno le campionesse di canottaggio Rowers Katherine Grainger e Anne Watkins che premerrano il famoso bottone rosso dello Blue start che metterà in moto 36.000 runner, mentre il tuffatore Tom Daley darà inizio alla Virgin Money Giving Mini-Marathon, una mini-gara di tre miglia per i giovani atleti tra gli 11 e i 17 anni.

Il Blue start prenderà le mosse alle 8.55 con la partenza degli Eltite wheelchair, seguiti dalle Elite Women, dagli Elite Men e dalla massa di tutti gli altri affiliati ai club e alla società, corridori per divertimento, altri che correrrano per raccogliere fondi a scopo caritatevole. 
La massa degli atleti sarà distribuita a Greenwich su tre diversi fronti di partenza.
Alla partenza della maratona, seguirà lo start per la mini-maratona sulla distanza di tre miglia. 

Three of Britain’s 2012 Olympic medallists will be the official starters of the 2014 London Marathon on Sunday 13 April.

Rowers Katherine Grainger and Anna Watkins will push the famous red button at the ‘blue start’ on Shooters Hill to send some 36,000 runners and wheelchair racers on their way in the Virgin Money London Marathon, while diver Tom Daley will start the Virgin Money Giving Mini London Marathon, a three-mile race for young athletes aged 11-17.

Grainger and Watkins, who together won the women’s double sculls gold at the London 2012 Games, are both running the London Marathon themselves this year, Grainger for International Inspiration, a charity set up after London 2012 to use sport to tackle social problems, and Watkins for Macmillan Cancer Support.

Grainger shares with swimmer Rebecca Adlington the distinction of being Britain’s most decorated female Olympian. Before her celebrated London gold, Graingthree silver medaler won s at the Olympic Games in Sydney 2000, Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008, making her the only British sportswoman to win medals at four consecutive Games. She is also a six-times world champion.

After finishing her PhD in law last May, and writing her autobiography, Dreams Can Come True, Grainger now faces what she calls “the scary challenge” of running 26.2 miles:

“Having the opportunity to take part in the 2014 Virgin Money London Marathon on behalf of International Inspiration is a privilege in itself, but having been asked to start the race on its behalf is an honour.

“I can’t wait to feel the energy of a ‘home crowd’ again as I take part in one of the most iconic marathons in the world.”

Watkins, who has two Olympic and four world rowing medals to her name, gave birth to her first child, William, last September. She currently fits in coaching and motivational speaking, studying for a PhD in mathematics, and a little bit of rowing, around her childcare duties and marathon training.

She said: “I’m truly honoured and so excited to be asked to start the Virgin Money London Marathon this year. I’m running as part of Team Macmillan to help ensure that no one faces cancer alone so I can’t wait to pull on my green vest and do my bit.”

Among the talented athletes who will set off from Blackheath in pursuit of 2014 London Marathon titles will be two more of Britain’s 2012 gold medallists – double Olympic champion Mo Farah, who is making his marathon debut in a high-quality men’s elite race, and David Weir, the quadruple Paralympic champion who is going for a record seventh London Marathon wheelchair victory.

In all 13 London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic athletics gold medallists will be racing over the famous course from Blackheath to The Mall, including five London 2012 marathon champions: Stephen Kiprotich (men), Tiki Gelana (women), David Weir (men’s T54 wheelchair), Shirley Reilly (women’s T54 wheelchair) and Tito Sena (men’s T46).

The elite will be followed by thousands of club athletes, fun runners, charity fund-raisers, celebrities, politicians and fancy dress costume wearers.

Britain’s future champions will be on show in the Mini London Marathon, a series of races over the last three miles of the course involving more than 2,000 of the country’s best young runners and wheelchair racers.

Daley, still a teenager himself, will set them on their way from Old Billingsgate. The 19-year-old won a bronze medal in the individual 10m platform event at London 2012 having won the world title in 2009 and two medals for England at the 2010 Commonwealth Games. He now presents ITV’s celebrity diving show, Splash!.

“I’m really excited to be starting the Virgin Money Giving Mini London Marathon on Sunday morning as part of my role as an adidas ambassador,” said Daley. “It’s great to see so many young people taking part in the race. It’s a great event to be a part of, and, who knows, maybe there’s a future Olympic champion in the field.” 

Daley will also present the Mini Marathon winners with their medals and prizes while the first three finishers in the men’s, women’s, wheelchair and IPC Athletics Marathon World Cup races will receive trophies from the London Marathon chairman, Sir John Spurling, and Jayne-Anne Gadhia, chief executive of Virgin Money.

Here is a list of all the official starters and presenters: 

Official starters

Tom Daley, London 2012 Olympic diving bronze medallist

Katherine Grainger and Anna Watkins, London 2012 Olympic rowing champions

Sir Steve Bullock, Mayor of the London Borough of Lewisham

Councillor Angela Cornforth, Mayor of the Royal London Borough of Greenwich

Trophy presenters

Londra si prepara alla 33^ edizione della Virgin Money London Marathon, che andrà in scena il prossimo 13 aprile 2014.
Già da quasi due settimanae la città è costellata da grandi cartelli gialli che, collocati in posizione ben visibile a tutti i guidatori di automezzi, indicano quali strade saranno chiuse al traffico, a prescindere dal fatto che siano o meno percorse dal fiume di maratoneti.
Misure preventive che comportano l'esclusione totale del traffico motorizzato da alcune vie di grande scorrimento, proprio per evitare intasamenti, ma anche misure drastiche (che i cittadini italiani sono quasi sempre restii ad accettare, perchè spesso non vedono al di là del loro gretto individualismo) e tutte sotto la direzione e supervisione della Municipalità cittadina.

Come sempre i Britannici prediligono le soluzioni pragmatiche.
Gli avvisi vengono disposti strada per strada con le indicazioni specifiche che riguardano quella zona: un intervento capillare, con prescrizioni "mirate".
Il traffico veicolare viene "vietato", non ci si limita ad affidarsi al buon senso dei cittadini motorizzati.
Nessuno protesta.
Lo spirito generale è che, in tale circostanze (come in altre minori relative ad altri sport che attirano grandi masse) ci si deve piegare ad una ragione di ordine superiore.
Esattamente come avviene in Italia...
Quando si dice che tutto il mondo "non" è paese!

Ma ovviamente in Italia esistono tante realtà virtuose che si avvicnano al modello britannico, questo punto non voglio metterlo assolutamente in discussione.