76-624: World Marathon Challenge is a multievent marathon competition that involves completing seven full 26.2-mile (42.2 km) run marathon races on seven continents in seven days. The first World Marathon Challenge was held in 2015, beginning in Antarctica on January 17, 2015, and ending in Sydney . The inaugural event combined the race results from Antarctica, Chile, the United States, Spain, Morocco, United Arab Emirates and Australia. David Gething won
152-503: A child and was later murdered in an unrelated incident. Budhia is now at a state-run sports academy. The youngest under 4 hours is Mary Etta Boitano at age 7 years, 284 days; under 3 hours Julie Mullin at 10 years 180 days; and under 2:50 Carrie Garritson at 11 years 116 days. In 2016, Running USA estimated that there were approximately 507,600 marathon finishers in the United States, while other sources reported greater than 550,000 finishers. The chart below from Running USA provides
228-551: A day and a half (36 hours). Three runners were successful in completing the distance: John Scholtens (34 30 ), John Foden (37 37 ), and John McCarthy (39 00 ). Since 1983 it has been an annual footrace from Athens to Sparta, known as the Spartathlon , celebrating Pheidippides's run across 246 km (153 mi) of Greek countryside. Another run inspired by Herodotus's account, the Authentic Pheidippides Run, makes
304-532: A distance of over 240 kilometres (150 mi) each way. In some Herodotus manuscripts, the name of the runner between Athens and Sparta is given as Philippides. Herodotus makes no mention of a messenger sent from Marathon to Athens and relates that the main part of the Athenian army, having fought and won the grueling battle and fearing a naval raid by the Persian fleet against an undefended Athens, marched quickly back from
380-592: A lap (586 yards 2 feet; 536 m) of the track, finishing in front of the Royal Box. The course was later altered to use a different entrance to the stadium, followed by a partial lap of 385 yards to the same finish. The modern 42.195 km (26.219 mi) standard distance for the marathon was set by the International Amateur Athletic Federation (IAAF) in May 1921 directly from the length used at
456-435: A marathon in each state of the United States plus Washington, D.C., and some have done it as many as eight times. Beverly Paquin, a 22-year-old nurse from Iowa, was the youngest woman to run a marathon in all 50 states in 2010. A few weeks later, still in 2010, Morgan Cummings (also 22) became the youngest woman to complete a marathon in all 50 states and DC. In 2004, Chuck Bryant of Miami, Florida, who lost his right leg below
532-579: A marathon in the United States when she completed the Pikes Peak Marathon in Manitou Springs, Colorado, in 1959. Kathrine Switzer was the first woman to run the Boston Marathon "officially" (with a number), in 1967. However, Switzer's entry, which was accepted through an "oversight" in the screening process, was in "flagrant violation of the rules", and she was treated as an interloper once
608-490: A marathon with her 9 hours 53 minutes performance at the 2010 Honolulu Marathon . The records of the Association of Road Racing Statisticians , at that time, however, suggested that Singh was overall the oldest marathoner, completing the 2004 London Marathon at the age of 93 years and 17 days, and that Burrill was the oldest female marathoner, completing the 2010 Honolulu Marathon at the age of 92 years and 19 days. Singh's age
684-400: A member of the 100 Marathon Club, set the world record for running 500 marathons in the fastest average finish time of 3 hours 15 minutes, at the same time becoming the first man to run 500 marathons with an official time below 3 hours 30 minutes, on 11 November 2012 at Milton Keynes, England. The records took 24 years to achieve. Edwards was 49 at the time. Over 350 individuals have completed
760-471: A prosperous state, they built a shrine to Pan under the Acropolis , and from the time his message was received they held an annual ceremony, with a torch-race and sacrifices, to court his protection. On the occasion of which I speak – when Pheidippides, that is, was sent on his mission by the Athenian commanders and said that he saw Pan – he reached Sparta the day after he left Athens and delivered his message to
836-515: A run from Marathon to Athens occurs in the works of the Greek writer Plutarch (46–120 AD), in his essay "On the Glory of Athens". Plutarch attributes the run to a herald called either Thersippus or Eukles . Lucian , a century later, credits one "Philippides". It seems likely that in the 500 years between Herodotus's time and Plutarch's, the story of Pheidippides had become muddled with that of
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#1732883896358912-410: A running race of approximately 40 km (25 mi) called the marathon. In 1921, the length of marathons became standardized at 42.195 km (26.219 mi). Based on Herodotus's account, British RAF Wing Commander John Foden and four other RAF officers travelled to Greece in 1982 on an official expedition to test whether it was possible to cover the nearly 250 kilometres (155 miles) in
988-469: A very steep climb over the first 5 kilometres (3.1 mi). When the modern Olympics began in 1896 , the initiators and organizers were looking for a great popularizing event, recalling the glory of ancient Greece . The idea of a marathon race came from Michel Bréal , who wanted the event to feature in the first modern Olympic Games in 1896 in Athens. This idea was heavily supported by Pierre de Coubertin ,
1064-469: Is a long-distance foot race with a distance of 42km 195m ( c. 26mi 385yd), usually run as a road race , but the distance can be covered on trail routes. The marathon can be completed by running or with a run/walk strategy. There are also wheelchair divisions. More than 800 marathons are held worldwide each year, with the vast majority of competitors being recreational athletes, as larger marathons can have tens of thousands of participants. A creation of
1140-458: Is followed by the modern Marathon-Athens highway ( EO83 – EO54 ), which follows the lay of the land southwards from Marathon Bay and along the coast, then takes a gentle but protracted climb westwards towards the eastern approach to Athens, between the foothills of Mounts Hymettus and Penteli , and then gently downhill to Athens proper. As it existed when the Olympics were revived in 1896, this route
1216-456: Is intended to provide a focal point for all runners, particularly from the United Kingdom or Ireland, who have completed 100 or more races of marathon distance or longer. At least 10 of these events must be United Kingdom or Ireland Road Marathons. Club chairman Roger Biggs has run more than 700 marathons or ultras. Brian Mills completed his 800th marathon on 17 September 2011. Steve Edwards,
1292-459: Is reported by Pausanias , Plutarch , and Lucian , writers who had read this name in their versions of Herodotus , while in most of Herodotus's manuscripts the form appears Pheidippides. Other than Herodotus's manuscripts, the form Pheidippides is only attested in Aristophanes 's The Clouds (423 BC). Many historians argue that Aristophanes willfully distorted the real name so as not to use
1368-416: Is saved, thank Pan , go shout!" He flung down his shield ran like fire once more: And the space 'twixt the fennel-field and Athens was stubble again, a field which a fire runs through, 'till in he broke: "Rejoice, we conquer!" Like wine through clay, joy in his blood bursting his heart – the bliss! This poem inspired Baron Pierre de Coubertin and other founders of the modern Olympic Games to invent
1444-520: Is the central figure in the story that inspired the marathon race . Pheidippides is said to have run 40 kilometres (25 mi) from Marathon to Athens to deliver news of the victory of the Battle of Marathon , and, according to Herodotus , to have run from Athens to Sparta . This latter feat also inspired two ultramarathon races, the 246-kilometre (153 mi) Spartathlon and 490-kilometre (300 mi) Authentic Pheidippides Run. The name Philippides
1520-429: Is the oldest to complete a marathon in under 3 hours at age 74, and under 4 hours at age 85. Budhia Singh , a boy from Odisha , India, completed his first marathon at age five. He trained under the coach Biranchi Das, who saw potential in him. In May 2006, Budhia was temporarily banned from running by the ministers of child welfare, as his life could be at risk. His coach was also arrested for exploiting and cruelty to
1596-783: Is the only marathon where participants run over two continents (Europe and Asia) during a single event. In the Detroit Free Press Marathon , participants cross the US/Canada border twice. The Niagara Falls International Marathon includes one international border crossing, via the Peace Bridge from Buffalo , New York, United States to Fort Erie , Ontario, Canada. In the Three Countries Marathon [ de ] , participants run through Germany, Switzerland and Austria. On 20 March 2018, an indoor Marathon occurred in
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#17328838963581672-653: Is the world's oldest annual marathon, inspired by the success of the 1896 Olympic marathon and held every year since 1897 to celebrate Patriots' Day , a holiday marking the beginning of the American Revolution , thereby purposely linking Athenian and American struggle for democracy. The oldest annual marathon in Europe is the Košice Peace Marathon , held since 1924 in Košice , Slovakia. The historic Polytechnic Marathon
1748-470: The 1908 Summer Olympics in London. An official IAAF marathon course is 42.195 km (42 m tolerance only in excess). Course officials add a short course prevention factor of up to one meter per kilometer to their measurements to reduce the risk of a measuring error producing a length below the minimum distance. For events governed by IAAF rules, the route must be marked so that all competitors can see
1824-506: The 2024 Summer Olympics by Tamirat Tola of Ethiopia. The Olympic women's record is 2:23:07, set at the 2012 Summer Olympics by Tiki Gelana of Ethiopia. Per capita, the Kalenjin ethnic group of Rift Valley Province in Kenya has produced a highly disproportionate share of marathon and track-and-field winners. The Boston Marathon began on 19 April 1897 and was inspired by the success of
1900-535: The COVID-19 pandemic , seven of the people who had planned on participating were unable to do so, and because of extreme weather preventing the plane from flying to Antarctic for the first day's run, Cape Town instead became day one with Antarctica on day two. In February 2023, Darren Edwards became the first person with a disability to complete the World Marathon Challenge. Marathon The marathon
1976-808: The North Pole , in Antarctica , and over desert terrain. Other unusual marathons include the Great Wall Marathon on The Great Wall of China , the Big Five Marathon among the safari wildlife of South Africa, the Great Tibetan Marathon – a marathon in an atmosphere of Tibetan Buddhism at an altitude of 3,500 metres (11,500 ft), and the Polar Circle Marathon on the permanent ice cap of Greenland . A few marathons cross international and geographical borders. The Istanbul Marathon
2052-622: The World Marathon Majors series, awarding $ 500,000 annually to the best overall male and female performers in the series. In 2006, the editors of Runner's World selected a "World's Top 10 Marathons", in which the Amsterdam , Honolulu , Paris , Rotterdam , and Stockholm marathons were featured along with the five original World Marathon Majors events (excluding Tokyo). Other notable large marathons include United States Marine Corps Marathon , Los Angeles , and Rome . The Boston Marathon
2128-609: The holiday season including the Empire City Marathon held on New Year's Day 1909 in Yonkers , New York, marked the early running craze referred to as "marathon mania". Following the 1908 Olympics, the first five amateur marathons in New York City were held on days that held special meanings: Thanksgiving Day , the day after Christmas, New Year's Day, Washington's Birthday , and Lincoln's Birthday . Frank Shorter 's victory in
2204-507: The marathon at the 1972 Summer Olympics would spur national enthusiasm for the sport more intensely than that which followed Hayes' win 64 years earlier. In 2014, an estimated 550,600 runners completed a marathon within the United States. This can be compared to 143,000 in 1980. Today, marathons are held all around the world on a nearly weekly basis. For a long time after the Olympic marathon started, there were no long-distance races, such as
2280-479: The Armory in New York City. The 200 m track saw a world record in the women's and men's field. Lindsey Scherf (USA) set the indoor women's world record with 2:40:55. Malcolm Richards (USA) won in 2:19:01 with a male indoor world record. Many marathons feature a wheelchair division. Typically, those in the wheelchair racing division start their races earlier than their running counterparts. The first wheelchair marathon
2356-504: The Battle of Marathon (in particular with the story of the Athenian forces making the march from Marathon to Athens in order to intercept the Persian ships headed there), and some fanciful writer had invented the story of the run from Marathon to Athens. The first recorded account showing a courier running from Marathon to Athens to announce victory is from within Lucian 's prose on the first use of
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2432-570: The French philologist Michel Bréal inspired by a story from Ancient Greece , the marathon was one of the original modern Olympic events in 1896 in Athens . The distance did not become standardized until 1921. The distance is also included in the World Athletics Championships , which began in 1983. It is the only running road race included in both championship competitions (walking races on
2508-531: The Glory of Athens in the first century AD, which quoted from Heraclides Ponticus 's lost work, giving the runner's name as either Thersipus of Erchius or Eucles. This was the account adopted by Benjamin Haydon for his painting [REDACTED] Eucles Announcing the Victory of Marathon , published as an engraving in 1836 with a poetical illustration by Letitia Elizabeth Landon . Satirist Lucian of Samosata gave one of
2584-511: The IAAF, now known as World Athletics , until 1 January 2004; previously, the best times for the marathon were referred to as the 'world best'. Courses must conform to World Athletics standards for a record to be recognized. However, marathon routes still vary greatly in elevation, course, and surface, making exact comparisons impossible. Typically, the fastest times are set over relatively flat courses near sea level, during good weather conditions and with
2660-528: The New York City Marathon and New York Road Runners club had to allow wheelchair athletes to compete, and confirmed this at appeal in 1980, but the New York Supreme Court ruled in 1981 that a ban on wheelchair racers was not discriminatory as the marathon was historically a foot race. However, by 1986, 14 wheelchair athletes were competing, and an official wheelchair division was added to
2736-557: The Spartan government. "Men of Sparta" (the message ran), "the Athenians ask you to help them, and not to stand by while the most ancient city of Greece is crushed and subdued by a foreign invader; for even now Eretria has been enslaved, and Greece is the weaker by the loss of one fine city." The Spartans, though moved by the appeal, and willing to send help to Athens, were unable to send it promptly because they did not wish to break their law. It
2812-445: The account he gave the Athenians on his return, Pheidippides met the god Pan on Mount Parthenium , above Tegea . Pan, he said, called him by name and told him to ask the Athenians why they paid him no attention, in spite of his friendliness towards them and the fact that he had often been useful to them in the past, and would be so again in the future. The Athenians believed Pheidippides's story, and when their affairs were once more in
2888-581: The assistance of pacesetters . The current world record time for men over the distance is 2 hours and 35 seconds, set in the Chicago Marathon by the late Kelvin Kiptum of Kenya on 8 October 2023. The world record for women was set by Ruth Chepng'etich of Kenya in the Chicago Marathon on 13 October 2024, in 2 hours, 9 minutes, and 56 seconds. This broke Tigst Assefa's previous world record of 2 hours 11 minutes and 53 seconds by almost two minutes, and
2964-434: The battle to Athens, arriving the same day. In 1879, Robert Browning wrote the poem Pheidippides . Browning's poem, his composite story, became part of late 19th-century popular culture and was accepted as a historical legend. Mount Pentelicus stands between Marathon and Athens, which means that Philippides would have had to run around the mountain, either to the north or to the south. The latter and more obvious route
3040-505: The defeated Persians to rush into the city to claim a false victory or simply raid, hence claiming their authority over Greek land. It was said that he ran the entire distance to Athens without stopping, discarding his weapons and even clothes to lose as much weight as possible, and burst into the assembly , exclaiming "we have won!", before collapsing and dying. The account of the run from Marathon to Athens first appeared in Plutarch 's On
3116-460: The distance covered in kilometers. The rules do not mention the use of miles. The IAAF will only recognize world records established at events run under IAAF rules. For major events, it is customary to publish competitors' timings at the midway mark and also at 5 km splits; marathon runners can be credited with world records for lesser distances recognized by the IAAF (such as 20 km, 30 km and so on) if such records are established while
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3192-490: The distance from Marathon to Athens by the longer, flatter route. The exact length depended on the route established for each venue. The International Olympic Committee agreed in 1907 that the distance for the 1908 London Olympic marathon would be about 25 miles or 40 kilometers. The organizers decided on a course of 26 miles from the start at Windsor Castle to the royal entrance to the White City Stadium , followed by
3268-528: The earliest accounts similar to the modern version of the story, but its historical veracity is disputed based on its tongue-in-cheek writing and the runner being referred to as Philippides and not Pheidippides. There is debate about the historical accuracy of this legend. The Greek historian Herodotus , the main source for the Greco-Persian Wars , mentioned Philippides as the messenger who ran from Athens to Sparta asking for help, and then ran back,
3344-417: The elements of the story known in modern culture as the "Marathon story of Pheidippides": a messenger running from the fields of Marathon to announce victory, then dying on completion of his mission. Robert Browning gave a version of the traditional story in his 1879 poem "Pheidippides". So, when Persia was dust, all cried, "To Acropolis ! Run, Pheidippides, one race more! the meed is thy due! Athens
3420-456: The error was discovered. Bobbi Gibb had completed the Boston race unofficially the previous year (1966), and was later recognized by the race organizers as the women's winner for that year, as well as 1967 and 1968 . The length of an Olympic marathon was not precisely fixed at first. Despite this, the marathon races in the first few Olympic Games were about 40 kilometres (25 mi), roughly
3496-535: The estimated U.S. Marathon Finisher totals going back to 1976. Marathon running has become an obsession in China , with 22 marathon races in 2011 increasing to 400 in 2017. In 2015, 75 Chinese runners participated in the Boston Marathon and this increased to 278 in 2017. As marathon running has become more popular, some athletes have undertaken challenges involving running a series of marathons. The 100 Marathon Club
3572-466: The event as the only successful woman in the 2015 field. The 2016 event began on January 26, 2016, with certified marathon courses in Union Glacier (Antarctica), Punta Arenas (Chile), Miami (USA), Madrid (Spain), Marrakech (Morocco), Dubai (United Arab Emirates) and Sydney (Australia). Registration for the event was € 32,000. In 2016 Becca Pizzi became the first American woman to complete
3648-498: The event, while finishing first among the women runners, with a total time of 27:26:15 hours and an average time of 3:55:11 hours. United States Marine Corps captain Daniel Cartica won the race with a total time of 24:46:56 and an average time of 3:32:25, besting a field of thirteen other runners and setting a new world record for the event. In 2017, American Michael Wardian won in 19:21:36 (averaging 2:45:57 per marathon), which
3724-447: The first marathon competition in the 1896 Summer Olympics . It is the world's oldest annual marathon and ranks as one of the world's most prestigious road racing events. Its course runs from Hopkinton in southern Middlesex County to Copley Square in Boston. Johnny Hayes ' victory at the 1908 Summer Olympics also contributed to the early growth of long-distance running and marathoning in the United States. Later that year, races around
3800-468: The founder of the modern Olympics, as well as by the Greeks . A selection race for the Olympic marathon was held on 22 March 1896 ( Gregorian ) that was won by Charilaos Vasilakos in 3 hours and 18 minutes. The winner of the first Olympic marathon , on 10 April 1896 (a male-only race), was Spyridon Louis , a Greek water-carrier, in 2 hours 58 minutes and 50 seconds. The marathon of the 2004 Summer Olympics
3876-424: The inaugural event with a total time for all seven races combined of 25 hours, 36 minutes and 3 seconds, and an average time of 3:39:26 per race, against a field that included eleven other runners, ten of whom were male. In order to reach all of the stages of the marathon competition, the participants traveled a total of 38,000 kilometres (23,612 mi). Marianna Zaikova of Finland became the first woman to complete
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#17328838963583952-653: The knee, became the first amputee to finish this circuit. Bryant has completed a total of 59 marathons on his prosthesis. Twenty-seven people have run a marathon on each of the seven continents, and 31 people have run a marathon in each of the Canadian provinces. In 1980, in what was termed the Marathon of Hope , Terry Fox , who had lost a leg to cancer and so ran with one artificial leg, attained 5,373 km (3,339 mi) of his proposed cross-Canada cancer fundraising run, maintaining an average of over 37 km (23 mi), close to
4028-579: The marathon in 2000. Some of the quickest people to complete a wheel-chair marathon include Thomas Geierpichler (Austria), who won gold in the men's T52-class marathon (no lower limb function) in 1 hr 49 min 7 sec in Beijing, China, on 17 September 2008; and, Heinz Frei (Switzerland) who won the men's T54 marathon (for racers with spinal cord injuries) in a time of 1 hr 20 min and 14 sec in Oita, Japan, 31 October 1999. World records were not officially recognized by
4104-419: The marathon, for women. Although a few women, such as Stamata Revithi in 1896, had run the marathon distance, they were not included in any official results. Marie-Louise Ledru has been credited as the first woman to complete a marathon, in 1918. Violet Piercy has been credited as the first woman to be officially timed in a marathon, in 1926. Arlene Pieper became the first woman to officially finish
4180-554: The name of the hero of Marathon in his play, or as a play on words meaning "save horses". However, given that the name Pheidippo is attested in the Iliad , the existence of a Pheidippides cannot be excluded, but according to many this form remains an error of the copyists of the manuscripts. The traditional story relates that Pheidippides (530–490 BC), an Athenian herald , or hemerodrome (translated as 'day-runner', 'courier', 'professional-running courier' or 'day-long runner' ),
4256-462: The oldest marathoner. Because Singh could not produce a birth certificate from rural 1911 Colonial India, the place of his birth, his age could not be verified and his record was not accepted by the official governing body World Masters Athletics . Johnny Kelley ran his last full Boston Marathon at the documented age of 84 in 1992. He previously had won the Boston Marathon in both 1935 and 1945 respectively. Between 1934 and 1950, Johnny finished in
4332-756: The planned marathon distance, for each of 143 consecutive days. On 25 September 2011, Patrick Finney of Grapevine, Texas became the first person with multiple sclerosis to finish a marathon in each state of the United States. In 2004, "the disease had left him unable to walk. But unwilling to endure a life of infirmity, Finney managed to regain his ability to balance on two feet, to walk – and eventually to run – through extensive rehabilitation therapy and new medications." Pheidippides Pheidippides ( Ancient Greek : Φειδιππίδης , Ancient Greek pronunciation: [pʰeː.dip.pí.dɛːs] , Modern Greek : [fi.ðiˈpi.ðis] lit. ' Son of Pheídippos ' ) or Philippides ( Φιλιππίδης )
4408-461: The roads are also contested in both). The name Marathon comes from the legend of Pheidippides , the Greek messenger. The legend states that while he was taking part in the Battle of Marathon , which took place in August or September 490 BC, he witnessed a Persian vessel changing its course towards Athens as the battle was near a victorious end for the Greek army. He interpreted this as an attempt by
4484-429: The runner is running a marathon and completes the marathon course. Annually, more than 800 marathons are organized worldwide. Some of these belong to the Association of International Marathons and Distance Races (AIMS) which has grown since its foundation in 1982 to embrace over 300 member events in 83 countries and territories. The marathons of Berlin , Boston , Chicago , London , New York City and Tokyo form
4560-456: The start and finish were on The Mall , and at the 2016 Summer Olympics ( Rio de Janeiro ), the start and finish were in the Sambódromo , the parade area that serves as a spectator mall for Carnival . Often, the men's marathon medals are awarded during the closing ceremony (including the 2004 games , 2012 games , 2016 games and 2020 games ). The Olympic men's record is 2:06:26, set at
4636-486: The top five 15 times, consistently running in the 2:30s and finishing in second place a record seven times at Boston. A fixture at Boston for more than a half century, his 1992 61st start and 58th finish in Boston is a record which still stands today. Gladys Burrill, a 92-year-old Prospect, Oregon woman and part-time resident of Hawaii, previously held the Guinness World Records title of oldest person to complete
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#17328838963584712-514: The winners') and then collapsed and died. The Greek historian Herodotus was the first person to write about a Athenian runner named Pheidippides participating in the First Persian War . His account is as follows: Before they left the city, the Athenian generals sent off a message to Sparta . The messenger was an Athenian named Pheidippides, a professional long-distance runner. According to
4788-563: The word "joy" as a greeting in A Slip of the Tongue in Greeting (2nd century AD). Most accounts incorrectly attribute Lucian's story to Herodotus, who wrote the history of the Persian Wars in his Histories (composed about 440 BC). However, Magill and Moose (2003) suggest that the story is likely a "romantic invention". They point out that Lucian is the only classical source with all
4864-405: The world record at 1:18:27, set in Boston in 2004. Jean Driscoll won eight times (seven consecutively) and holds the women's world record at 1:34:22. The New York City Marathon banned wheelchair entrants in 1977, citing safety concerns, but then voluntarily allowed Bob Hall to compete after the state Division of Human Rights ordered the marathon to show cause. The Division ruled in 1979 that
4940-491: Was a new world record, and in the women's race Chilean Silvana Camelio won in 29:28:17. In 2018, the men's race was won by Irish Gary Thornton in 22:26:16 and the women's race by American Becca Pizzi (who also won in 2016) in 28:32:35. In 2019, the marathon courses were in Nova (Antarctica), Cape Town (South Africa), Perth (Australia), Dubai (United Arab Emirates), Madrid (Spain), Santiago (Chile) and Miami (USA). The men's edition
5016-512: Was also reported to be 93 by other sources. In 2015, 92-year-old Harriette Thompson of Charlotte, North Carolina, completed the Rock 'n' Roll San Diego Marathon in 7 hours 24 minutes 36 seconds, thus becoming the oldest woman to complete a marathon. While Gladys Burrill was 92 years and 19 days old when she completed her record-setting marathon, Harriette Thompson was 92 years and 65 days old when she completed hers. English born Canadian Ed Whitlock
5092-419: Was an actual historical figure. However, Miller also asserts that Herodotus did not ever mention a Marathon-to-Athens runner in any of his writings. Whether the story is true or not it has no connection with the Battle of Marathon itself, and Herodotus's silence on the evidently dramatic incident of a herald running from Marathon to Athens suggests that no such event occurred. The first known written account of
5168-434: Was approximately 40 kilometres (25 mi) long. It was the approximate distance originally used for marathon races. However, there have been suggestions that Philippides might have followed another route: a westward climb along the eastern and northern slopes of Mount Penteli to the pass of Dionysos , and then a straight southward downhill path to Athens. This route is slightly shorter, 35 kilometres (22 mi), but includes
5244-543: Was discontinued in 1996. The Athens Classic Marathon traces the route of the 1896 Olympic course, starting in Marathon on the eastern coast of Attica, site of the Battle of Marathon of 490 BC, and ending at the Panathenaic Stadium in Athens . The Midnight Sun Marathon is held in Tromsø , Norway at 70 degrees north . Using unofficial and temporary courses measured by GPS, races of marathon distance are now held at
5320-556: Was in 1974 in Toledo, Ohio, and it was won by Bob Hall at 2:54. Hall competed in the 1975 Boston Marathon and finished in 2:58, inaugurating the introduction of wheelchair divisions into the Boston Marathon. From 1977, the race was declared the US National Wheelchair championship. The Boston Marathon awards $ 10,000 to the winning push-rim athlete. Ernst van Dyk has won the Boston Marathon wheelchair division ten times and holds
5396-416: Was introduced at the 1984 Summer Olympics (Los Angeles, US) and was won by Joan Benoit of the United States with a time of 2 hours 24 minutes and 52 seconds. It has become a tradition for the men's Olympic marathon to be the last event of the athletics calendar, on the final day of the Olympics. For many years, the race finished inside the Olympic stadium; however, at the 2012 Summer Olympics (London),
5472-421: Was run on the traditional route from Marathon to Athens , ending at Panathinaiko Stadium , the venue for the 1896 Summer Olympics. That men's marathon was won by Italian Stefano Baldini in 2 hours 10 minutes and 55 seconds, a record time for this route until the non-Olympics Athens Classic Marathon of 2014 when Felix Kandie lowered the course record to 2 hours 10 minutes and 37 seconds. The women's marathon
5548-592: Was sent to Sparta to request help when the Persians landed at Marathon, Greece . He ran about 240 km (150 mi) in two days, and then ran back. He then ran the 40 km (25 mi) to the battlefield near Marathon and back to Athens to announce the Greek victory over Persia in the Battle of Marathon (490 BC) with the word [[[Wikt:νικώ#Greek|νικῶμεν]]] Error: {{Transliteration}}: transliteration text not Latin script ( help ) ( nikomen 'We win!'), as stated by Lucian chairete, nikomen ('hail, we are
5624-474: Was the first time in history a woman broke the 2:11 and 2:10 barriers in the marathon. The data is correct as of 2 November 2024 . Notes Fauja Singh , then 100, finished the Toronto Waterfront Marathon , becoming the first centenarian ever to officially complete that distance. Singh, a British citizen, finished the race on 16 October 2011 with a time of 8:11:05.9, making him
5700-412: Was the ninth day of the month, and they said they could not take the field until the moon was full. So they waited for the full moon, and meanwhile Hippias , the son of Pisistratus , guided the Persians to Marathon. — Herodotus According to Miller (2006), Herodotus, only 30–40 years removed from the events in question, based his account on eyewitnesses, so it seems altogether likely that Pheidippides
5776-429: Was won by American Michael Wardian in 20:49:30 and the women's edition was won by British Susannah Gill in 24:17:6 (initially reported as 24:19:09). With an average of 3:28:9 per marathon, Gill's time was a new world record for women, which was surpassed the following year by Danish Kristina Schou Madsen with 3:25:57 per marathon (total time 24:1:40). The 2020 race was also unusual for other reasons; since it happened during
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