London 2012 organisers want to break with tradition and move the finish of the marathon to the Mall instead of the Olympic Stadium.
The proposal has still to be approved but 2012 officials have been planning radical changes to the route that was submitted when London bid for the Games.
The original marathon route would have seen runners go past many of the major London landmarks and then head out east towards the Olympic Stadium in Stratford. However, there have been concerns that it would lead to miles of the route being outside of the city centre, devoid of spectators and with a dull backdrop for television.
The new route would see the marathon taking place in a more compact course taking several loops around the centre, going past landmarks such as the House of Parliament, St Paul's Cathedral, Tower Bridge before an eventual finish in the Mall.
The London Marathon has 36,000 people taking part but only 100 or so elite athletes will take part in the Olympic men's and women's events.
Organisers will need the agreement of a number of bodies for such a major change, including the International Olympics Committee, the international athletics body IAAF and several councils.
A London 2012 spokeswoman said: "We have not yet confirmed all the details of the marathon route - we are in the process of finalising all the details and we hope to announce an approved route shortly."
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