A Brief History of Marathons

A marathon is a long distance foot race with an official distance of 26 miles and 385 yards. Marathons have been run as an official Olympic event since the 1896 games. Currently, more that 500 Marathons are run throughout the year with tens of thousands of participants. Marathons are run in commemoration of the fabled run of the Greek solider Pheidippides, a messenger from the Battle of Marathon to Athens. He ran the whole distance without stopping. Before collapsing and dying he cried out to the people of Athens that “We have won”, referring to the battle against the Persians. There are debates about the historical accuracy of the fable.

Five of the largest and most prestigious Marathon races are Boston, New York City, Chicago, London and Berlin. Together these races form the biennial World Marathon Majors series. Inspired by the accomplishment of the 1896 Olympic marathon, the Boston Marathon is the world's oldest marathon, held annually since 1897. Among the world’s most scenic marathons include: Steamboat Marathon, Steamboat Springs, Colorado; Mayor's Marathon, Anchorage, Alaska; Kona Marathon, Keauhou/Kona, Hawaii; San Francisco Marathon, San Francisco, California.

The world record Marathon time for men was set by Haile Gebrselassie of Ethiopia on September 28^th, 2008 with an astonishing time of 2 hours 3 minutes and 19 seconds. Gebrselassie's world record is an average pace of under 2:57 per kilometer (4:44 per mile), an average speed of over 20.4 km/h (12.6 mph). The world record Marathon time for women was set by Paula Radcliffe of Great Britain in the London Marathon on April 13, 2003, with a remarkable time of 2 hours 15 minutes and 25 seconds.

In general, the majority of participants of Marathons do not run to win. Most runners run to compete against their own personal finish time. For many just finishing the race is the achievement. Some people may have a goal to break set time barriers. First time marathoners may try to complete the race in less than 4 hours. More aggressive runners often set a goal to finish marathons in less than 3 hours. For all non-professional runners qualifying times are required for major marathons such as the Boston Marathon, the New York City marathon and the National marathon help in Washington D.C.

Marathons are run for fun, to be healthier, to prove something to themselves or to someone else. Some people run marathons for sport; others run them for a cause like a charity or foundation. Whatever the motivation, marathons attract people from all walks of life.