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The History of
the Marathon
The history of the marathon goes back a few thousand years.
Nowadays, every year, hundreds of thousands of people run marathons.
Some do so for the glory, many do so for the sense of
achievement, and to raise money for charities and other good causes.
It is one of those sporting events that appeals to a wide public and
that many can compete in.
Even if you are not a particularly good runner, you can still take
part.
For example, many of the big marathons like the annual London marathon
have hundreds of participants who walk the entire course.
Preparation for a marathon is demanding. They often say that the
hardest part of the marathon is getting to the starting line uninjured.
Nowadays some smart marathon running programs like 100 Day Marathon Plan
take away some of those concerns.
100
Day
Marathon Plan contains a great set of running
programs for
anyone wanting to run a marathon, it is the best marathon running
program out there.
History of the Marathon:
Where Did It All Begin?
International athletes train for months and years just for the one day.
But where did
it all begin?
The history of the marathon of modern times dates back to the
19th century, but the early origins of the event are steeped
in legend.
Many historians believe that the history of the marathon dates back to
a battle that took place in 490 B.C. The Athenians
and Persians were fighting close to Athens, in a region known as "Marathon", when the
Athenians sent a courier to ask for help from Sparta.
The courier, Phidippides, managed to cover the 150
miles in less than two days.
The legend changed over time and it was claimed that he actually
travelled to Sparta to tell of the Athenians victory at Marathon, and
managed to utter a few words before dying from his efforts.
History of the Marathon:
Modern Beginnings
This
tale, although probably a fantasy, nevertheless had an impact on the
history of the marathon, and its appearance at the first Olympics in
1896.
A French historian, Michele Breal, offered a silver
trophy for the winner of a race that re-enacted Phidippides' run.
The Olympic organizers designed a 40-kilometer (24.8-mile)
race,
known as the marathon, which would be the climax of the 1896 Olympics,
on April 10th. Two trial marathons were held prior to this, in March,
to select who would represent Greece at the Olympics. The event,
involving 13 Greek, and 4 foreign competitors, was full of drama, but
was eventually won by a Greek shepherd, Spiridon Louis.
History of the Marathon
Distance
The history of the marathon distance
dates back to the 1908 London Olympics.
When the event organizers were laying out the Olympic course, they had
first intended it to be 26 miles, starting at Windsor Castle, and
finishing in the white City Stadium, in London.
However, it was decided that the finish line should be in front of the
royal box. So they had to add a little bit of extra distance.This
determined the marathon distance of 26.2
miles or 42.195 km. This marathon distance was officially
adopted by Olympic officials in 1924.
And the Rest is History....
Nowadays every major city, every region, seems to have its annual
marathon.
Huge marathons in the USA are held annually in Boston, Chicago and New York.
In
Europe the London Marathon has become really big. And fast runners like
the Berlin and the Amsterdam marathons as well as the Rotterdam
marathon.
Wherever you
are, you can be sure there is a marathon in your area. The
length is still seen to be a serious distance, too big to try for many.
And marathons have become big
business. Charities have jumped on the bandwagon
and are encouraging you to raise money for your favorite charity. In
some races, I think, this has gone a little bit too far sometimes
giving preference to people who raise money for charity over fast
runners.
For elite athletes there is serious prize money to be won in some of
the larger marathons.
These big bucks can only be won by the elite runners.
Those that combine their incredible natural talents with the
willingness to work extremely hard at achieving success.
However for all of us there can be great pride in stepping in the
footsteps of Phidipiddes of 2,500 years ago by finishing a marathon
and striking it off our bucket lists.
When you do decide to run a marathon, make sure you use a smart way
to train like the 100 Day Marathon Plan. Check out the following link
for my 100
Day
Marathon Plan Review.
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History of the Marathon
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