The History Of Marathons

Marathons are always a fascinating topic because they represent a very difficult feat. People who have completed a marathon have always taken pride in doing so and for good reasons as well. Marathons are difficult to build up to and they are even more difficult to finish. Furthermore, they are nearly downright impossible to win unless you are a professional runner or Superman. Considering all this, have you ever stopped and asked, “Where do marathons come from?” If not, we’re going to tell you anyway.

The Greek Legend

It is believed that the history of marathons began during the times of ancient Greece (somewhere around August/September 490 BC) when there was a battle in Marathon, just outside of Athens. This battle was between the Greeks and Persian invaders and after the Greeks won they dispatched a messenger from the battlefield to the governing body in Athens. This messenger, who had just finished fighting in the battle himself, ran the entire 25 miles from Marathon to the meeting hall. After he burst in and delivered his message, “We won,” he fell over dead.

In another version of the story the messenger ran from Athens to Sparta and back in order to deliver a plea for help. This is a distance of 150 miles both ways. So either he was a marathoner or an ultramarathoner times three. Either way he ran a long way to deliver a simple message and died doing it.

The Modern Olympic Marathon

When the modern Olympics first started up again in 1896, the organizers used the inclusion of a marathon race (suggested by the Greeks) in order to popularize the games. These games were held in Athens and likely the above legend was mentioned frequently. Back then the race was only open to men and the winner of the first Olympic marathon was a Greek citizen, Spyridon “Spyros” Louis, who was a water-carrier in everyday life. He had a finishing time 2 hours, 58 minutes, and 50 seconds.

It was not until 1984 when the that Los Angeles Olympic games held a women’s marathon event. That historic race was won by American Joan Benoit with a finishing time of 2 hours, 24 minutes, and 52 seconds.

Open Marathons

The Boston Marathon was started in 1897 and was directly inspired by the popularity of the marathon race in the 1896 Olympics. Today, it is the oldest and perhaps best of the 500 marathons that are organized each year around the world. Many of these modern marathons are organized by the Association of International Marathons and Distance Races (AIMS) which was first founded in 1982. They are currently responsible for 300 marathons in 83 countries.

The history of marathons is long and proud with millions of people competing in modern races each year around the globe. Not only is competing in a marathon a wonderful human tradition to uphold, it is a front row seat to history still being made.