The 2012 Olympic Flame: Halfway to London
in Sports, People
Today marks the halfway point of the 70-day Olympic Torch relay through the United Kingdom. Since arriving in Cornwall on May 18, the flame has been carried through villages and cities, across lakes and mountain ranges, on foot, by train, on horseback, and through the air, from Cornwall to the Shetland Islands. By the time it reaches London to launch the 2012 Summer Olympics in 35 days, the torch will have passed through the hands of 8,000 torchbearers. [31 photos total]
Torchbearer Peter Jack holds the Olympic Flame aloft on the Giant's Causeway, County Antrim on day 17 of the London 2012 Olympic Torch Relay on June 4, 2012 near Belfast, Northern Ireland. (LOCOG via Getty Images) #
Actress Ino Menegaki, dressed as a high priestess, lights the torch at a ceremony in Panathinean stadium in Athens, Greece, on May 17, 2012. The torch began its 70-day journey to arrive at the opening ceremony of the London 2012 Olympics, from the Greek capital, to cover about 8,000-mile trip through England to start the games. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris) #
Metropolitan Police Inspector Andy Marriner sits with the Olympic flame, secured in seats 1A and 1B for the flight to the UK, on board a British Airways jet in Athens, Greece, on May 18, 2012. (Reuters/Chris Radburn/LOCOG) #
British soccer player David Beckham lights the Olympic torch from the lantern carried on board a special British Airways flight, following its arrival at Royal Naval Air Station Culdrose in Cornwall, on May 18, 2012. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant) #
British television presenter Ben Fogle rises up, attached to a helium filled balloon, while holding the Olympic flame inside the rainforest biodome at the Eden Project, a massive multiple greenhouse complex near St. Austell, England, on May 19, 2012. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant) #
Blaire Hannan, a competitive sailor and member of the British Paralympic Transition Squad, lights the cauldron at the end of Day 4 in Bath during the Olympic Torch Relay, on May 22, 2012. (AP Photo/Yui Mok/LOCOG) #
Torchbearer Natalie Hawkins, 20, from Street, Somerset holds the Olympic Flame on top of Glastonbury Tor, on May 22, 2012. (AP Photo/Ben Birchall/LOCOG) #
Zara Phillips, member of the British Olympic equestrian eventing team, and the eldest granddaughter of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, holds the Olympic torch while riding through Cheltenham race course in Cheltenham, on May 23, 2012. (Reuters/Kieran Doherty) #
Joanne Gregory, a Scout leader from Llangollen, travels across the thousand-foot-long Pontcysyllte Aqueduct with the Olympic Flame during the Torch Relay leg between Wrexham and Trevor, on May 30, 2012. (AP Photo/Gareth Fuller/LOCOG) #
Torchbearer John Bishop carries the Olympic Flame down from the top of one of several huge radio telescopes at the Jodrell Bank Observatory on May 31, 2012 in Jodrell Bank, England. (LOCOG via Getty Images) #
Geraldine McCann carries the London 2012 Olympic torch leg between Newtownards and the Northern Ireland Assembly parliament buildings at Stormont, on June 3, 2012. (Reuters/Locog/handout) #
Charity fundraiser Denis Broderick carries the Olympic torch across Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge near the village of Ballintoy in County Antrim, on June 4, 2012. (Reuters/Cathal McNaughton) #
Scottish actor James McAvoy laughs while carrying the London 2012 Olympic torch in Glasgow, Scotland, on June 8, 2012. (Reuters/David Moir) #
Blair Marquis holds the Olympic Torch on Loch Ness, Scotland during Day 22 of the Torch Relay, on June 9, 2012. (AP Photo/Danny Lawson/LOCOG) #
Davie Austin, an employee of the Nevis Range, carrys the Olympic Flame on a gondola on the Nevis Range, a mountain ski resort in the the Highlands of Scotland near Ben Nevis and Fort William, on June 9, 2012. (AP Photo/Danny Lawson/PA Wire) #
Mountain Biker Tracy Moseley carries the Olympic Flame on the Nevis Range in the the Highlands of Scotland near Ben Nevis and Fort William on Day 22 of the relay. (AP Photo/Danny Lawson/PA Wire) #
Torch bearer Mathew Cox and the Jarl vikings in Lerwick in the Shetland Islands, Scotland, on June 10, 2012. The Jarl vikings provided an honor guard during the torch relay on the islands. (Reuters/David Moir) #
Torch bearer Mathew Cox holds aloft the Olympic torch while crossing the Clickmin Broch on a boat in Lerwick in the Shetland Islands, Scotland, on June 10, 2012. (Reuters/David Moir) #
Torchbearer Kirsty Wade holds the Olympic Flame at the Calanais Standing Stones in Callanish as the sun rises on Day 24 of the torch relay. (AP Photo/Danny Lawson/LOCOG) #
European quad bike champion John Mitchell carries the Olympic Flame on his quad bike during his leg through Stornoway, on June 11, 2012. (AP Photo/Ben Birchall/LOCOG) #
Katherine Milne holds the Olympic Flame next to the historic bridge of Carrbridge (built in 1717), during the torch relay between Aviemore and Carrbridge, on June 11, 2012. (AP Photo/Danny Lawson/LOCOG) #
Joseph Forrest and children from Madras College run along West Sands with the Olympic Torch in St. Andrews, Scotland, on June 13, 2012. (Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images) #
Dennis May carries the Olympic Torch on a boat at the Falkirk Wheel, a famous rotating boat lift in Falkirk, Scotland, on June 13, 2012. (Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images) #
Lesley Forrest carries the Olympic Torch on the Royal Mile on June, 13, 2012 in Edinburgh, Scotland. (Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images) #
Torchbearer Joseph Forrest runs along West Sands beach with the Olympic Torch during the London 2012 Olympic Torch Relay in St Andrews, Scotland, on June 13, 2012. (LOCOG via Getty Images) #
The Tyne Bridge, illuminated, as the city of Newcastle prepares for the Olympic Torch Relay by displaying the Olympic rings on the famous landmark on June 13, 2012 in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. (Stu Forster/Getty Images) #
Richard Jackson prepares to abseil down The Sage building in Gateshead, carrying the Olympic Flame on June 16, 2012. (AP Photo/Chris Radburn/LOCOG) #
Torchbearer Jamie Green, the Children's Patron at young people's mobility charity Whizz-Kidz, holds the Olympic Flame at Scarborough Open Air Theatre during Day 31 of the London 2012 Olympic Torch Relay. (AP Photo/Ben Birchall/LOCOG) #
James Coupland carries the Olympic Flame on the Middlesbrough Transporter Bridge at the beginning of Day 31 of the relay. (AP Photo/Yui Mok/LOCOG) #
Torchbearer David State stops midway through his Torch Relay leg between Marske-by-the-Sea and Loftus to propose to his girlfriend Christine Langham before continuing the relay, on June 18, 2012. Christine reportedly said "yes." (AP Photo/Chris Radburn/LOCOG) #
Josephine Loughran carries the Olympic Flame on the Scots Guardsman steam locomotive on the journey from York to Thirsk in England, on day 33 of the torch relay. (AP Photo/Ben Birchall, LOCOG) #