Almost 30 years have passed since she won her fourth and final London Marathon, but that didn’t stop Ingrid Kristiansen from smiling coyly when asked if she was tempted to pull on her trainers for next year’s IAAF World Championships.

Because as the world’s finest athletes descend on the capital next August, even at the ripe age of 60, Kristiansen would love nothing more than to pound the streets once more in a city which evokes some of her best memories.

On Thursday, the route for the London 2017 marathon, as well as the race walk, was unveiled – a course which will take in some of the city’s most historical and iconic landmarks.

Starting and ending at Tower Bridge, the 26.2-mile marathon will see athletes pass the Houses of Parliament and St. Paul’s Cathedral, before the top three take their place on the podium in front of the Tower of London.

And for Norway’s Kristiansen, who broke the marathon world record in London in 1985, three years before she won it for the last time, very few cities could rival it when it comes to scenic backdrops.

“I’m really excited to see the course unveiled because it’s a different marathon course, they are running four laps and the race will go straight through the middle of the city,” she said.

“It’s a really good course for the people who want to watch on the television, but also for all the people who want to watch in London itself, they can watch the runners and see the athletes four times.

“I think it’s good for the runners, because they can learn throughout the race. If I had been a runner today, I would be happy to see the race and the course so that I could prepare.

“I’d want to know where the turns are, where the cobblestones are, it’s important for a runner to memorise parts of the race.”

A five-time world record breaker, Kristiansen first won the London Marathon in 1984, the same year in which she took the title in Houston.

The first athlete to win world titles on track, road and cross-country, she admits the London 2017 route will be quite different from that of the London Marathon, but insists it is a challenge that will that even the world’s best will relish.

“When I ran in London, I ran from one part to another, and that is a big difference. But for marathon, running four laps in the centre of a city is much better, both for the runners and the spectators,” she said.

“Of course, I don’t think any athletes are going to be lapped, it’s too long for that, but I think it will be a close race.

“It’s hard to say what the runners will be thinking today, or how they want to run a course like this, but I hope that it will be a really good race.”