About
The marathon — a road race of 42.195 km (26.2 miles) — originates from the legend of Pheidippides, an Athenian messenger who supposedly ran from the Battle of Marathon to Athens (approximately 40 km) in 490 BCE to announce the Greek victory over the Persians before collapsing and dying. Modern historians debate this account; what is documented is that Pheidippides ran from Athens to Sparta (240 km in 2 days) to request military assistance before the battle — a run more physically impressive than the legendary marathon.
The modern marathon was introduced at the 1896 Athens Olympics (first modern games), run over approximately 40 km. The distance was standardized at 42.195 km after the 1908 London Olympics, where the course was extended so the race could start at Windsor Castle and finish in front of the royal box. The Boston Marathon (1897) is the world's oldest annual marathon. The World Marathon Majors (Boston, Tokyo, London, Berlin, Chicago, New York) attract hundreds of thousands of runners. The current world record: Kelvin Kiptum (Kenya), 2:00:35, Chicago 2023. Eliud Kipchoge ran 1:59:40.2 in 2019 (INEOS 1:59 Challenge, Vienna) — but not recognized as a world record because of pacing assistance.
# Top 10 marathon facts
- 1Pheidippides legend (490 BCE)
- 21896 Olympics (first modern marathon)
- 342.195km standard (1908, Windsor Castle to royal box)
- 4Boston Marathon (1897, oldest annual)
- 5INEOS 1:59 Challenge (Kipchoge, 2019)
- 6Kiptum world record (2:00:35, 2023)
- 7Kathrine Switzer (first woman, 1967)
- 8'wall' (glycogen depletion at mile 20)
- 9masters marathon runners
- 10marathon economics (Chicago $400M economic impact)
Fascinating Facts
- ◆The marathon distance was permanently set at 42.195km because of the 1908 London Olympics — the race was extended to start under the window of the royal nursery at Windsor Castle (so the royal children could watch the start) and end in front of the royal box in the stadium, a distance that happened to be exactly 42.195km
- ◆Eliud Kipchoge ran 1:59:40.2 in October 2019 (INEOS 1:59 Challenge, Vienna) — the first human to run a marathon under 2 hours — but it is not recognized as a world record because he used rotating pacing teams and a car displaying a laser line to run behind, conditions not permitted under World Athletics rules
- ◆The 'wall' in marathons (extreme fatigue at approximately mile 20-22) occurs when the body's glycogen stores are depleted and it must switch to fat metabolism — a less efficient fuel source — causing dramatic slowing; elite runners burn primarily fat from the start through highly specific training, allowing them to avoid the wall entirely
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