The marathon, one of the most challenging and exhausting things on the planet - but where and when did the marathon originate, and why is its staple distance 26.2?

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When was the marathon first run?

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Back in ancient Greece, there was a place called Marathon. It was by the coast and had a very large beach but it isn’t remembered as the first seaside resort - no, it is remembered for the Battle of Marathon. In 490BCE, a large army from Persia invaded Greece at Marathon. When the battle was in Greece’s favour, a runner, Pheidippedes, was sent to Athens (25 ancient miles away) to tell the Emperor that they had won. This is recognised as the first ever marathon. Unfortunately, Pheidippedes had already run 180 miles from Athens to another ancient Greek city, Sparta, to ask them for help, so after he had run to Athens, he threw the message to the waiting generals then dropped dead with exhaustion.

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What was the first modern marathon?

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The first modern marathon was held at the 1896 Olympics (which was the first modern Olympic Games), but the distance of 26.2 wasn’t actually established until the twentieth century. The Marathon Majors are the marathons in the world at which official times can be made. These are: Tokyo, Boston, London, Berlin, Chicago and New York City. The first marathon outside of the Olympics was the 1897 Boston Marathon. It was inspired by the immense success of the one at the Olympics the previous year. The other Marathon Majors were all established in the century after the Boston marathon. New York in 1970, Berlin 1974, Chicago 1977, London 1981 and Tokyo 2007.

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What is the time to beat?

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Since the start of marathon running, the records have been getting faster and faster. The fastest race time is held by Eliud Kipchoge, at 2:01:39, beating the previous marathon world record by over a minute! Kipchoge’s fastest time however is 1:59:40, which is the fastest time for a marathon in history. Unfortunately, his record did not count, as he had pacemakers continuously changing and a support team handing him fluids (water and energy drinks) as he ran the course. Still, this achievement is a one of a kind and Eliud Kipchoge has broken the 1:59 barrier.

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What about the women?

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Before the athlete Kathrine Switzer competed and completed the Boston Marathon in 1967 it was thought that women could never do such a challenge - obviously that was a mistake. After the ’67 Boston Marathon, Switzer has pioneered marathon running for women. She set up various marathon events and used the stats from them to bombard the International Athletics Association until, along with a team of campaigners, she got the women’s marathon into the Olympics in 1984

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