Origin of the Marathon

Of all the races, one race is considered a true test of human endurance; the Marathon. While runners of shorter races like the ones in track and cross country are impressive, they do not stand up to the test of human athleticism as marathon runners do. But where did the name marathon come, and why is it 26.2 miles? 

The race gets its name fromt he legend of Pheidippides the Greek messenger in 490 BC. In the legend, Pheidippides was sent from the battlefield at Marathon to Athens to announce that the enemy, the Persians, had just been defeated. He ran from Marathon to Athens without stopping, and when he arrived, he burst into the assembly and shouted "We have won!" As soon as the words left his mouth, he collapsed, dead.

Like most legends, there is quite a bit of debate as to the accuracy of this tale. Herodotus, a Greek historian who is one of the main sources for the Greco-Prussian wars, mentions Pheidippides as the messaenger who ran from Athens to Sparta and back to ask for help. He makes no mention of a runner coming back from Marathon.

In 1879, Robert Browning wrote the poem Pheildippides in which his story of messenger ran from Marathon to Athens. This poem became accepted as a historic legend. During the modern Olympics in 1896, the marathon was added to both popularize the games, and call back to the ancient glory of Greece. Now, it exemplifies the talent of the athletes.