How many people applied but didn’t run the race?

A million people came to London on May 9 to watch 16,000 people run 26 miles. The event was the London Marathon, which looked like one of the fastest growing sports in the 1980s.
    70,000 people had applied to take part in the race, but the number had to be restricted to 16,000 for safety reasons. Running through a big and friendly crowd which lined the whole coarse, the competitors followed a route which took them through the center of London, finishing near the House of Parliament.
    Well, they weren’t really competitors. The fastest man finished in 2 hours 9 minutes, and the fastest woman in 2 hours 29 minutes--but most people weren’t trying to beat the clock, they were just interested in seeing if they could actually run 26 miles.
    However, one of the runners collapsed 50 meters from the end: The crowd yelled encouragement and applauded as three times he tried to standup--and three times fell down. Then, on his fourth attempt, he managed to stand up, and finished the race. Another was so exhausted that he crossed the finish line on his hands and knees.