London Marathon Winners

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# Packages
library(LondonMarathon)
library(ggplot2)

# Wrangling
plot_data <- winners |>
  dplyr::filter(Nationality == "United Kingdom") |>
  dplyr::count(Category) |>
  dplyr::mutate(
    xmax = dplyr::if_else(
      stringr::str_detect(Category, "Men"),
      -1 * sqrt(n), 1 * sqrt(n)
    ),
    ymax = dplyr::if_else(
      stringr::str_detect(Category, "Wheelchair"),
      -1 * sqrt(n), 1 * sqrt(n)
    )
  )

# Plot
ggplot(
  data = plot_data
) +
  geom_rect(
    mapping = aes(
      xmin = 0, xmax = xmax, ymin = 0, ymax = ymax,
      fill = stringr::str_detect(Category, "Men"),
      alpha = as.numeric(
        stringr::str_detect(Category, "Wheelchair")
      )
    )
  ) +
  scale_fill_manual(
    values = c("#9C0D38", "#41658A")
  ) +
  scale_alpha(range = c(0.3, 0.8)) +
  lemon::scale_x_symmetric() +
  lemon::scale_y_symmetric() +
  theme_void() +
  theme(
    legend.position = "none",
    plot.background = element_rect(
      fill = "white",
      colour = "white"
    )
  )

The London Marathon is one of the world’s top long-distance running events, held annually since 1981. It follows a scenic 26.2-mile route through central London, passing landmarks like Tower Bridge, the London Eye, and Buckingham Palace. The race attracts elite athletes, amateur runners, and charity fundraisers from around the globe.

This piece of art represents the number of London Marathon wins by runners from the United Kingdom. Red blocks represent women who won, and blue represents men who won. The solid colour blocks represent elite wheelchair races, and the semi-transparent blocks represent elite running races. Runners who have won multiple times are included as multiple winners.

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