The Athenians: The Marathon
One of the favorite races of the distance runners is the marathon. For some runners, the marathon is the ultimate test of endurance, for others, it’s a stepping stone to even longer races are measured continues to be: the marathon.
The modern marathon began in the 1896 Olympics, held at Athens, and has been a part of the Olympics ever since. The event commemorates the legendary 25-mile run of Pheidippides northeast from Marathon to Athens to let the Athenians at home know of their warriors great victory over the Persians in the 490 B.C. The Athenians, despite having 4,000 less soldiers than the invaders, halted the first large-scale Persian invasion of Greece.
Though the runner, Pheidippides, ran 25 miles, today’s marathoners run 26.2 miles.
The modern marathon began in the 1896 Olympics, held at Athens, and has been a part of the Olympics ever since. The event commemorates the legendary 25-mile run of Pheidippides northeast from Marathon to Athens to let the Athenians at home know of their warriors great victory over the Persians in the 490 B.C. The Athenians, despite having 4,000 less soldiers than the invaders, halted the first large-scale Persian invasion of Greece.
Though the runner, Pheidippides, ran 25 miles, today’s marathoners run 26.2 miles.