 As part of a review of safety following the 2012 running of the event, from 2013 to 2015 the start was moved forward away from the crowds and grandstands, reducing the race distance by from the historical .The course has one of the longest run-ins from the final fence of any steeplechase, at .The Grand National was designed as a cross-country steeplechase when it was first officially run in 1839.