[ad_1]
Almost certainly, you already know {that a} marathon is round 26 miles lengthy. To be exact, it’s 26.2188 miles or 26.2 as most spherical it off as.
That final .2 sounds so small, however marathon runners understand it’s an additional few steps that add up!!! And perhaps you’ve puzzled why on Earth the race isn’t merely a spherical quantity. The truth is, why isn’t it 20 miles or 25 miles?
Just a few of us know precisely what occasions led to this odd race distance. Apparently, it began greater than 2000 years in the past in Historical Greece with a messenger by the identify of Pheidippides.
Intrigued to know the way it all started? Let’s dive into some historical past!
The Origin of Marathon: The Battle of Marathon
A Greek legend from 490 B.C. served as the premise for the marathon as a working occasion.
Marathon is a small Greek village that also exists at this time, with a inhabitants of roughly 7,000 folks.
It was the location of the Battle of Marathon in historic Greece, an enormous confrontation between the Greeks and the invading Persians.
Regardless of being outnumbered by the Persians, the Greeks gained the combat. This was an important win of their combat towards the invaders.
In response to legend, after the victorious battle, a Greek messenger named Pheidippides noticed a Persian warship heading in direction of Athens. He noticed this as an try by the Persians to hurry to the Greek metropolis and declare victory within the battle.
Pheidippides laid down his weapons and armor, and ran. He ran all the best way to Athens with out stopping so he might say that the Greeks had gained the battle.
He fainted from sheer exhaustion shortly after declaring ‘victory’ to the gathered Greeks.
A number of sources dispute the occasions of 490 BC, however the delusion was popularized and have become one in every of Historical Greece’s most lasting, universally-told myths, and thus the legend was born.
Relying on no matter route you select, the space between Marathon and Athens is round 25 miles. However everyone knows that’s not the usual marathon size.
And wait, the Battle of Marathon occurred greater than 2500 years in the past so how did it make its solution to the fashionable occasions?
For that, we have to have a look at two different occasions in historical past, beginning with the primary fashionable Olympic Video games held in 1896.
When Marathon Entered Trendy Occasions: The First Trendy Olympic Video games 1896
The legend of Pheidippides has its place in Greek delusion and historical past, however the historic Greeks didn’t have an official marathon in the identical sense that we do at this time. That every one began in 1896.
The truth is, the traditional Greek Olympic video games from 2000 years in the past have been the inspiration for the primary fashionable Olympic video games, which have been held in Athens in that 12 months. The objective was to convey collectively the very best and strongest athletes from everywhere in the world for a worldwide occasion.
When the fashionable Olympics started in 1896, the organizers supposed to place one occasion within the highlight that might encapsulate the spirit of the Historical Video games.
To that finish, Michel Bréal, a French philologist, advisable to Pierre de Coubertin, the founding father of the Worldwide Olympic Committee, that the video games emphasize the “character of Antiquity.”
His thought was that they may do that by introducing a long-distance race that mirrored Pheidippides’ journey over two thousand years in the past.
And, nicely, the Olympic organizing committee beloved it.
They picked the identical route that the messenger had supposedly taken 2400 years earlier than, and selected to name the occasion after the city the place all of it started. Because of this, the fashionable marathon was born.
And so, in 1896, the primary Olympic Marathon was held in Athens. Runners set out from the Marathon Bridge and completed on the Olympic Stadium in Athens, for a complete distance of round 25 miles or 40 kilometers.
So even then, it wasn’t the 26.2 miles we now know as the usual marathon size. Apparently, solely 9 of the 25 athletes made it to the end line with Spyridon Louis ending first. He ran the practically 25-mile distance in 2 hours, 58 minutes, and 50 seconds.
The Olympic Video games in Athens in 1896 have been warmly accepted and have become a staple, showing each 4 years in a number of main cities all through the world.
The marathon grew to become a mainstay of the Olympics, although the marathon size diversified considerably from occasion to occasion, at all times remaining across the 25-mile mark.
It wasn’t till the London 1908 Olympics that the ultimate distance was 26.2 miles for the primary time, and there was an attention-grabbing motive for that.
When Marathon Grew to become 26.2 Miles: The 1908 London Olympic Video games
Initially, the organizers of the 1908 Olympic Video games in London supposed a 26-mile course from Windsor Fort to the doorway of the White Metropolis Stadium.
Nonetheless, the royal household, particularly Queen Alexandra, is claimed to have requested that the marathon start on the garden of Windsor Fort, permitting the royal kids to look at from their nursery. The race was then scheduled to finish in entrance of the royal field on the Olympic Stadium on the time.
This addition on the request of the Royal added 385 yards bringing the whole size of the race to 26.2188 miles, or 26.2 miles as it’s usually identified.
So, on the final day of the 1908 London Olympics, the first-ever 26.2 mile marathon was held, and it wasn’t with out controversy!
Dorando Pietri of Italy entered the Olympic Stadium first and was clearly exhausted. He famously collapsed a number of occasions and even ran within the improper route! He needed to be helped by two medics earlier than he crossed the end line first.
Many opponents complained about how Pietri was unfairly supported and so the primary place when to American Johnny Hayes! He even set an Olympic document with a time of two hours, 55 minutes, and 18.4 seconds.
However that was the primary time it occurred, so when was it set as the usual distance of a marathon? For that, let’s have a look at what occurred in 1921.
When Marathon was Standardized to 26.2 Miles
The marathon’s customary distance was established in Could 1921 by the Worldwide Newbie Athletic Federation (IAAF).
Regardless that technically six completely different marathon distances have been used within the first seven Olympic Video games starting from 24.85 to 26.56 miles, the IAAF settled on the 26 miles and 385 yards used on the 1908 London Olympics.
They most probably selected the space used on the 1908 Olympics as a result of many individuals throughout that point believed it was the most effective races ever!
With Johnny Hayes’ victory, the general public grew to become way more conscious of marathons which finally kicked off the ‘Marathon Mania’ of the twentieth century.
Marathons within the twenty first Century
Marathons are actually not simply restricted to the Olympic video games however are held all over the world from the historic Boston Marathon to the Nice Wall Marathon in China.
At present, the most important marathon races globally are often called ‘the large 6’, or the world majors, three of which occur in america. They embody the Boston Marathon, London Marathon, Berlin Marathon, Tokyo Marathon, New York Metropolis Marathon, and Chicago Marathon.
The truth is, finishing all the World Majors earns you a Six Star finisher medal. It’s a small group of runners who’ve accomplished them, as a result of races being lotteries!
And sure, no matter the place they’re held on this planet, they’re at all times 26.2188 miles, or 42.195 kilometers lengthy!
Yearly, there are tons of of organized marathons held everywhere in the world, with about 400,000 marathon finishers within the US alone.
Eliud Kipchoge, a Kenyan runner, is at present the marathon world document holder. He completed the 2022 Berlin Marathon in 2:01:09, beating his personal earlier world document from 2018 by 30 seconds. And Brigid Kosgei, additionally a Kenyan runner, set the ladies’s world document in 2019 when she ran the Chicago Marathon in 2:14:04.
If you happen to’re able to take up that problem too, I like to recommend trying out my marathon coaching plans. Whether or not you’re or newbie or intermediate, I’m positive you’ll discover the right coaching schedule that’ll suit your present health degree and objective!
Properly, hopefully, that enjoyable little historical past answered all of your questions! However you can even be taught extra about when was working invented or what an ultramarathon precisely is!
Searching for extra Marathon Data?
I’ve obtained a ton of marathon sources for you as a brand new runner, in addition to the finest free Sofa to Marathon plan you can begin utilizing at this time!
So let’s get working!
Different methods to attach with Amanda
Instagram Each day Enjoyable: RunToTheFinish
Fb Neighborhood Chatter: RunToTheFinish
Get extra working suggestions: Pinterest
Get each new publish delivered to your inbox
[ad_2]
