History of the Marathon Race

Sports have been part and parcel of humans as extracurricular activities and even professions for many. There are different types of sports players we prefer, among which the marathon is a very reputed one. It tests the stamina and capability of a runner for 26.2 miles straight. This is one of the toughest sports events we witness in the Olympic Games and other events held nationally and internationally. In this article, we will find out the history of the marathon race, how it originated and the transformations it went through in its course of history.

The stories of the Marathon extend from Greek mythology to the restart of the Olympic Games. Runners from different countries and ethnicities unite on a single track to run this long-distance non-stop and showcase their stamina and indomitable spirit. Let us find out how this sports event came into being and how it got developed over the years.

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What is a Marathon Race?

The Marathon is a sports event where the runners aggregate on a track to run a specified distance. They all start from one point and then proceed to the endpoint following the trails. It is held nationally and internationally in different locations across the world. Marathoners from all over the world participate in these events to test their stamina and showcase their skills. This sports event is very demanding in terms of physical exertion as the participants have to run constantly for hours to finish the race and to get a formidable position to win the rewards. As per the new rules of the Marathon, the distance of a standard race is 26.219 miles or 42.195 km.

It is said that humans were capable of running miles after miles behind their prey. They hunted down animals much faster and more energetic than them just by tracking and keeping following them. Over the years, the mode of communication developed to a certain extent leading to less time and exertion in travelling. Humans started losing the capability of running for miles. This race is the epitome of testing the stamina of runners to date.

History of Marathon Race

If we go back to the historical era, there is a brilliant story of how the marathon race originated. As per the legends, its roots belong to the Greek Mythology that depicts the legendary story of Pheidippides, the Greek Soldier who ran straight 42.195 km to give the news of Greece’s victory.

The history dates back to 490 BC during the famous war between the Greeks and the Persians. The battleground of Marathon was 26 miles away from the city of Athens. This battle was a gallant one as nearly 10,000 Greek soldiers fought against more than a million Persian soldiers in the soil of Marathon. It was a gruesome battle where many lives were lost but the Greeks eventually managed to win against the Persians and protected the natives from the tyrants. This success was a marvellous feat that the citizens should know.

One of the Greek soldiers named Pheidippides took the responsibility of taking the news to the city of Athens. There were no means of sending messages back then other than recruiting a messenger. Pheidippides was already exhausted from the long-drawn battle and ran the marathon race distance to give the news of victory to the citizens of Athens. He ran 26 miles straight and reached the city, managed to use his last breaths to give the news to the citizens, and succumbed to death. He did not stop and ran relentlessly to give the good news to all the countrymen waiting eagerly for the battle to end.

He left all his arms and even the armour to run that distance with his last bit of energy left in his body. He ran and ran and covered the distance crossing hills, forests, and thickets. Nothing stopped him from giving the good news to the citizens. It was his joy of winning the battle against the mighty Persians that made him cover the distance remarkably. As per the Greek mythology, he entered the city and exclaimed with joy ‘νενικήκαμεν (nenikēkamen)’ which means ‘we have won’. After uttering these words, he collapsed and died from his injuries.

This is the first time someone ran that distance without halting to rest and crossed diverse topography even when he was injured in a gruesome battle. He covered that distance with the sheer joy of winning against the Persians and conveying the message to the people of Athens. This is when and why was the first marathon race run as per the historical data from Greek Mythology.

Standard Distance Run in Marathon

Marathon was included in the reinvented modern Olympic Games that were held in the year 1896 for the first time. Olympics were held back in Greece during the era of 776 BC to 261 AD. It was then stopped when the Greek empire fell and the auspicious events were stopped. It was the initiative of Pierre De Coubertin, the founder and visionary of the Modern Olympic Games, who initiated it again on 6th April 1896 and brought the countries participating in it closer.

In the first Modern Olympics (1896), the marathon was included as an event to commemorate the extraordinary feat of Pheidippides, the Greek soldier who carried the news by running 26 miles from the Marathon to Athens. This is why the first Modern Olympic Games were held in Athens and a marathon race was included. The standard distance of a marathon race was set at 40 km during the rebirth of the Olympics. It remained the same for the sessions of 1900 and 1904. When the games were to be held in London in 1908, Queen Alexandria changed the distance from 40 km to 42.195 km ranging from Windsor Castle to the Royal Box of Olympic Stadium.

As per the historical anecdotes, the distance of the race was increased because the Queen wanted their children to see men running on the tracks from their nurseries. This distance was then standardized in the year 1921 and it was fixed to be 26.2 miles or 42.195 km. In the ancient Olympics, the longest distance that runners had to cover was 5 km only. It was then increased following these incidents to 42.195 km.

Facts of Marathon

You will be surprised to know those runners used to participate in such events when Pharaohs ruled Egypt. They considered running as the prime military skill that all soldiers must-have. During that era, the distance of a marathon race was fixed to be 100 km. This huge marathon race distance was covered by the top runners of that time. This event has been revived in recent years providing an ultra-challenge to the runners across the world to cross that massive distance. It is named ‘Pharaonic 100km’ and the route starts from Hawara Pyramid located at El Fayoum and ends at Sakkara Pyramids located in the southwestern part of Cairo.

Back then, the most accomplished runners were messengers who were trained to carry news for long distances. They served the military by carrying important messages from one point to the other and learned how to survive in these harsh journeys. There are many other versions of Marathon based on the anecdotes. According to Herodotus, Pheidippides was sent to Sparta for help but the Spartans did not lend their hand. The same version leads to the event of running a 240 km marathon called Spartathlon Race.

As per these stories of Greek mythology and historical anecdotes, a marathon race has evolved to be an international event in the Olympics and also held in several cities across the world. These races have the same distance between the starting point and the ending point. Runners test their stamina and skills by covering marathon race km within the shortest time possible and create records.