The marathon is a long distance race that pits runners against each other in a battle of will and endurance. The popularity of the marathon has it's roots in a legend that stems back to ancient Greece and spans nearly twenty five hundred years.
The legend has it that a Greek soldier named Pheidippides, was sent running from the battlefield in Marathon Greece to alert the citizens of Athens that the Greek army had soundly beaten the Persians in battle.
What most find a bit ironic is that we celebrate this event, even though the poor racer dropped dead on the spot. Some variations of the legend say he burst into the senate room, screamed victory, and immediately dropped dead.
Many historians doubt the accuracy of the story. There are varying accounts on the actual life of Pheidippides, and one version states the race actually took place between Sparta and Athens, mentioning nothing of Marathon.
It wasn't until the late 1800's that a famous poem popularized the legend and it then became accepted as fact. Most runners will admit the accuracy of the tale is actually quite unimportant, the lore of the marathon remains nonetheless.
An interesting thing to note is that, while the modern race is just over 26 miles, many have fluctuated quite a bit over the 20th century. Ranging from 24 to 27 miles in official Olympic distances.
Marathon training mania in the United States can be traced back to the Olympic victory of US runner Johnny Hayes in 1908. This popularized marathon training in the US and brought the event into the main stream. Frank Shorters victory in the 1972 games catapulted the distances popularity among average runners.
The marathon is so popular that an estimated half million runners will participate in an official marathon race this year. If you look at the major marathons like the one in Chicago, nearly half of all participants are fist timers.
The incredible history of marathon training is a romantic and fun way to keep the spirit of the race alive. It's often fun to imagine, during the rigors of a marathon training schedule, what it must have been like for those first runners all those years ago.
The legend has it that a Greek soldier named Pheidippides, was sent running from the battlefield in Marathon Greece to alert the citizens of Athens that the Greek army had soundly beaten the Persians in battle.
What most find a bit ironic is that we celebrate this event, even though the poor racer dropped dead on the spot. Some variations of the legend say he burst into the senate room, screamed victory, and immediately dropped dead.
Many historians doubt the accuracy of the story. There are varying accounts on the actual life of Pheidippides, and one version states the race actually took place between Sparta and Athens, mentioning nothing of Marathon.
It wasn't until the late 1800's that a famous poem popularized the legend and it then became accepted as fact. Most runners will admit the accuracy of the tale is actually quite unimportant, the lore of the marathon remains nonetheless.
An interesting thing to note is that, while the modern race is just over 26 miles, many have fluctuated quite a bit over the 20th century. Ranging from 24 to 27 miles in official Olympic distances.
Marathon training mania in the United States can be traced back to the Olympic victory of US runner Johnny Hayes in 1908. This popularized marathon training in the US and brought the event into the main stream. Frank Shorters victory in the 1972 games catapulted the distances popularity among average runners.
The marathon is so popular that an estimated half million runners will participate in an official marathon race this year. If you look at the major marathons like the one in Chicago, nearly half of all participants are fist timers.
The incredible history of marathon training is a romantic and fun way to keep the spirit of the race alive. It's often fun to imagine, during the rigors of a marathon training schedule, what it must have been like for those first runners all those years ago.
About the Author:
Visit our running and marathon training site for all kinds of resources on beginners running program and marathon training