Marathon

Lore & Background

The marathon is a long-distance foot race covering 42.195 kilometers (26.22 miles), typically run on roads but occasionally on trails. Participants may run the entire distance or employ a run/walk strategy; wheelchair divisions also exist. Over 800 marathons occur worldwide each year, with most competitors being recreational athletes; major events can draw tens of thousands of entrants. The event was conceived by French philologist Michel Bréal, inspired by an ancient Greek legend, and debuted as an original modern Olympic event in 1896 in Athens.

Its distance was not standardized until 1921. The marathon is the only road running race featured in both the Olympic Games and the World Athletics Championships (since 1983). The name derives from the story of Pheidippides, a Greek messenger who, according to legend, ran from the Battle of Marathon to Athens to announce victory, then collapsed and died.

The earliest known account appears in Plutarch’s first-century AD work, citing Heraclides Ponticus, naming the runner as Thersipus of Erchius or Eucles. The satirist Lucian of Samosata later gave a version similar to the modern tale, though its historical accuracy is disputed. The historian Herodotus, a key source for the Greco-Persian Wars, mentions a messenger named Philippides running from Athens to Sparta and back, but not from Marathon to Athens.

The modern marathon route from Marathon to Athens follows the coastal highway, a distance of approximately 40 kilometers, though an alternative, shorter route includes a steep climb over Mount Pentelicus. The first Olympic marathon in 1896 was won by Greek water-carrier Spyridon Louis in 2 hours 58 minutes and 50 seconds. The women’s marathon was introduced at the 1984 Olympics, won by Joan Benoit of the United States. The men’s Olympic marathon traditionally concludes the athletics program on the final day of the Games.

Reader's Guide

The marathon is a long-distance foot race of 42.195 kilometers (26.22 miles), typically run on roads but also on trails, and can be completed by running or employing a run/walk strategy, with wheelchair divisions also contested. Over 800 marathons occur globally each year, the vast majority of participants being recreational athletes, with major events drawing tens of thousands. Its modern form originated from a proposal by French philologist Michel Bréal, inspired by the ancient Greek legend of Pheidippides, who reportedly ran from the battlefield of Marathon to Athens to announce a Greek victory before collapsing. This account, popularized by Robert Browning’s 1879 poem, became a cornerstone of the first modern Olympic Games in 1896 in Athens, where Greek water-carrier Spyridon Louis won the inaugural race.

The distance was standardized in 1921, and the event has been a permanent fixture in the Olympics and, since 1983, the World Athletics Championships, making it the only running road race in both competitions. The men’s Olympic marathon traditionally concludes the athletics program, with medals awarded at the closing ceremony. The women’s marathon was introduced at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. Notably, runners from the Kalenjin ethnic group of Kenya have achieved disproportionate success in the event.