who was the first person to run a marathon

Who is the fastest female to run the marathon?

The history of the fastest marathon (female):

• 1998: Tegla Loroupe (Kenya) ran 2:20:47 in Rotterdam.
• 1999: In September 1999 she took four seconds off that time at the Berlin Marathon, completing the distance in 2:20:43.
• 2001: Catherine Ndereba (Kenya) then smashed the record by nearly two minutes in Chicago, setting a record of 2:18:47.

More items...

Who is the best, ultra marathon runner?

• Chris Balestrini
• Malcolm Richards
• Preston Johnson
• Kyle Masterson
• Fernando Cabada
• Phil Parrot-Migas
• Tyler Andrews
• Brendan Martin
• Chikara Omine
• Daniel Button

More items...

Who was the first winner of the marathon?

The inaugural marathon had 7,741 entrants, 6,255 of whom completed the race. The first Men's Elite Race was tied between American Dick Beardsley and Norwegian Inge Simonsen, who crossed the finish line holding hands in 2 hours, 11 minutes, 48 seconds. The first Women's Elite Race was won by Briton Joyce Smith in 2:29:57.

What to expect at your first marathon?

you might expect in your first marathon. The first and last thing to keep in mind is -- whether it's Chicago or another marathon -- it's a journey. And the point of the journey is not just about arriving at the end, it's about everything that happens along the way. Embrace it, draw from it, endure it and own it: the spirit of the marathon.

Who ran the world's first Marathon?

Every marathon that takes place today recalls the feats of a heroic messenger in ancient Greece, who ran not just 26 miles but 300 and accomplished this remarkable feat of endurance running in only three days. Pat Kinsella tells the legendary story of Pheidippides...

When was the first ever Marathon?

The marathon may have ancient roots, but the foot race's official length of 26.2 miles wasn't established until the 20th century. The first organized marathon was held in Athens at the 1896 Olympics, the start of the Games' modern era.

Why was the first Marathon run?

The traditional origin of the marathon comes from the story how a herald named Phidippides ran the 26 miles from Marathon to Athens to announce the Greek victory and died on the spot.

How did the Marathon get its name?

The name Marathon comes from the legend of Pheidippides, a Greek messenger. The legend states that he was sent from the battlefield of Marathon to Athens to announce that the Persians had been defeated in the Battle of Marathon (in which he had just fought), which took place in August or September, 490 BC.

Who was the first person to run?

Roger BannisterPersonal informationSportAthletics/Track middle-distance runningEvent(s)Mile 800 metres 1500 metresAchievements and titlesPersonal best(s)Outdoor 800 m: 1:50.7 (Brussels 1950) 1500 m: 3:43.8 (Bern 1954) Mile: 3:58.8 (Vancouver 1954)19 more rows

What is the fastest marathon?

Kipchoge, the two-time Olympic champion and world-record holder, clocked 2:02:40 to prevail by 33 seconds. He gapped countryman Amos Kipruto in the 23rd of 26.2 miles. The top men lost about 10 seconds due to the field taking a wrong turn following a lead vehicle earlier in the race.

How long is a marathon time?

The length of a full marathon is always 26.2 miles. Finishing times for marathons range from a little over 2 hours for world-class, elite marathoners to 8 hours or more for other participants. The average marathon time was 4:30:46 (10:19 minutes per mile pace) in 2019 for men in U.S. races, according to RunRepeat.

Who invented running?

No one invented running. It was an evolution of human explosion. Running is a sport where a man keeps his shoes on his feet with ropes and cloth. It was invented by Thomas Running in 1748 when he discovered that the wind behind him could make him move faster, which was accompanied by heat loss.

Did the first guy to run a marathon died?

Pheidippides is said to have run from Marathon to Athens to deliver news of the victory of the battle of Marathon....PheidippidesBornc. 530 BC AthensDiedc. 490 BC Athens1 more row

What percentage of the world has run a marathon?

0.01 percentWondering about the popularity of the marathon around the world? About 1.1 million runners complete a marathon each year, which is roughly 0.01 percent of the world's population, according to the International Institute for Race Medicine (IIRM).

What is the longest marathon in the world?

The 10 Longest Races in the World1) Barkley Marathons. The Barkley Marathons is an approximately 100 mile race held in Frozen Head State Park in Tennessee. ... 2) 6633 Arctic Ultra. ... 3) Dragon's Back Race. ... 4) Self-Transcendence. ... 5) Jungle Ultra. ... 6) Marathon des Sables. ... 7) Grand to Grand Ultra. ... 8) Badwater Ultramarathon.More items...

Why is a marathon 26.2 miles and not 26?

In the 1908 London Olympics, the marathon started at Windsor Castle and finished in the White City stadium, measuring 26 miles. Until that point, the marathon distance was roughly 24 miles, inspired by the ancient route run by Pheidippides.

Where did 26.2 miles come from?

The marathon dates back to several hundred years BC. The story goes that a Greek messenger named Pheidippedes ran 25 miles from Marathon to Athens to deliver a battle victory message, announcing that Greece had defeated Persia. The modern marathon of 26.2 miles started at the London Olympics in 1908.

How far did Pheidippides run?

Battle of Marathon … relates that a trained runner, Pheidippides (also spelled Phidippides, or Philippides), was sent from Athens to Sparta before the battle in order to request assistance from the Spartans; he is said to have covered about 150 miles (240 km) in about two days.

How fast did Pheidippides run the marathon?

He ran about 240 km (150 mi) in two days, and then ran back.

Who was the first marathon runner?

Most historians agree that Pheidippides was a real person, born around 530 BC, who worked as an Athenian hemerodrome, meaning herald, messenger or courier. The word is variously translated as ‘day-runner’ or ‘day-long runner’, but essentially his primary role was to run long distances overland to convey important messages.

Who inspired the creation of the marathon?

Mythologised by the writings of poets and historians, the alleged deeds of a fleet-footed messenger in ancient Greece called Pheidippides inspired the creation of the world’s most popular mass participation running race – the marathon. But how far did this athlete really run? And in which direction?

Why did Pheidippides march to Marathon?

He then joined the rest of Athenian army to march from Athens to Marathon to attempt to hold off the large Persian forces massing just off shore.

How far is the Marathon from Athens?

The actual distance between Marathon and Athens is closer to 25 miles, but the extra heartbreak mile became part of the official distance – 42.195km – at the 1908 Olympic Games in London. Here the course was extended, partly to ensure the race finished in front of the royal box.

How many miles did Pheidippides run?

Every marathon that takes place today recalls the feats of a heroic messenger in ancient Greece, who ran not just 26 miles but 300 and accomplished this remarkable feat of endurance running in only three days. Pat Kinsella tells the legendary story of Pheidippides...

When did Commander Foden run his first marathon?

Commander Foden also happened to be an avid runner, and in 1978 he completed his first marathon. He found the experience entrancing and began running competitively, eventually going on to win a silver medal in the marathon at the World Masters Athletic Championships in New Zealand in 1980.

Who ran the road to Sparta?

Author and ultramarathoner Dean Karnazes ran 153 miles from Athens to Sparta powered only by figs, olives, and cured meats — the endurance diet you might have found in 490 B.C.E., when the route was originally run. Karnazes recounts his experience in his new book, The Road to Sparta, published by Rodale Books. Excerpted here is the chapter “Origins of a Classic,” taking a deep dive into the true history of the original marathon.

How far was Pheidippides running from Sparta to Athens?

Wait a minute, he thought, the story everyone was familiar with was that of Pheidippides running from the battlefield of Marathon to Athens to announce Greek victory, a distance of 26.2 miles. A run from Athens to Sparta was something altogether different, much more than a single marathon, more like six marathons stacked one upon the other. Such a distance would be appropriately classified as an ultramarathon, not a marathon. Athens to Sparta represented some 140 or more miles; how was it possible that one man could have done this?

How long did it take for Foden to run?

Commander Foden arrived a bit later, in just under 38 hours of total running time. He had likely run a greater distance than the first arriver and contended with more mountainous terrain, but this was an era prior to the advent of GPS, so neither of them could pinpoint their exact route. The final of the three remaining runners arrived about an hour after Foden.

Do ultramarathon runners split up?

Periods of high energy and troughs of low energy rarely coincide between two runners. By night- fall the group had split up and become considerably separated, each man running at his own comfortable tempo. This made it increasingly difficult for the support vehicles to provide aid and assistance at consistent intervals.

Who was John Foden?

A student of history, British Royal Air Force Wing Commander John Foden was fascinated with early Greek writings. A prodigious reader, he enjoyed delving into the mysterious yarns and torrid tales of the ancient Greek record and exploring the colorful accounts of pre-Christian Hellenic lore. Such was the stuff that captured his fancy.

Who is the father of history?

Intrigued, he pulled A. R. Burns ’s translation of The Histories, which was published by Penguin Classics in 1970.

Who invented the marathon?

This poem inspired Baron Pierre de Coubertin and other founders of the modern Olympic Games to invent a running race of approximately 40 km (25 miles) called the marathon. In 1921, the length of marathons became standardized at 42.195 km (26 miles, 385 yards). In any case, no such story appears in Herodotus.

Who wrote the first book about the Marathon?

The first known written account of a run from Marathon to Athens occurs in the works of the Greek writer Plutarch (46–120 CE), 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".

How long did it take to cover the Spartathlon?

Based on this 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 a day and a half (36 hours).

How long is Sparta's run?

Since 1983, it has been an annual footrace from Athens to Sparta, known as the Spartathlon, celebrating Pheidippides's run (according to Herodotus) across 246 km (153 miles) of Greek countryside.

Who gave the word "joy" to the people of Athens?

Painting of Pheidippides as he gave word of the Greek victory over Persia at the Battle of Marathon to the people of Athens. — Luc-Olivier Merson (1869) 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 the word “joy” as a greeting in A Slip ...

Who was the day runner?

The traditional story relates that Pheidippides (530–490 BC), an Athenian herald, or hem erodrome (translated as "day-runner", "courier", "professional-running courier" or "day-long runner" ), 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 νικῶμεν ( nikomen "We win!"), as stated by Lucian chairete, nikomen ("hail, we are the winners") and then collapsed and died.

Who sent off a message to Sparta?

In any case, no such story appears in Herodotus. The relevant passage of Herodotus is: 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.

When was Nick Butter's last marathon?

Butter (centre left) and Kevin Webber (centre right) at the Athens Marathon in November 2019, the final marathon on Butter’s worldwide tour. Photo: Courtesy of Nick Butter

What is the book "The Power of Running" about?

The book is an ode to the people he met along the way, and to the power of running. It also delves into his friendship with Webber, who has been on his own phenomenal journey in the six years since his diagnosis. Having defied doctors’ predictions, he has completed ultra-marathons everywhere from Albania to the Arctic as part of his mission to raise funds for, and awareness of, prostate cancer. In October he was awarded a British Empire Medal for his feats.

How long did Nick Butter run?

Nick Butter ran 8,256km in 674 days to set his record marathon achievement, during which he was mugged, attacked by dogs and suffered a mini heart attack

Where did Butter run?

In January 2018, Butter set off on an epic journey that would see him run through war zones, deserts and multiple bouts of food poisoning. He was mugged in Lagos in Nigeria, attacked by dogs in Tunisia, and suffered a mini heart attack in Samoa. His hardest race was in Bangladesh where, fresh from several consecutive bouts of food poisoning, he developed a kidney infection and vomited every mile of the route.

How The Marathon Began

The story of the marathon begins in ancient Greece on August 12, 490BC. The momentous events that transpired on that day gave rise to the name ‘Marathon’ later being attached to the foot race as we now know it.

When Was The First Marathon

The amazing story of Pheidippides and the Athenian army on that day back in 490BC would later be the inspiration behind the naming of the worlds most famous footrace, the Marathon.

The Olympic Marathon

The Olympic marathon is a hero event of the modern Olympics. It’s the culmination of the athletics program and is watched by millions around the world. A true test of endurance and human athletic ability, it’s a very exciting and popular spectator event.

Why Is The Marathon 42.2 Kilometres Long?

Given that the distance from the gates of Marathon in Greece to the stadium in Athens is about 40kms, why is the modern-day marathon 42.2kms long? Or more precisely, 42.195kms.

When Was The First Marathon For Women?

Incredibly, from the times of the ancient Olympics right up until the 1970s, women were not allowed to compete in any marathon event.

Wrapping It Up

This has been a fun article to write. Looking back at the history of the marathon reveals some amazing and fascinating facts about this iconic sporting event.

How long was the first marathon?

The length of an Olympic marathon was not precisely fixed at first, but the marathon races in the first few Olympic Games were about 40 kilometres (25 mi), roughly the distance from Marathon to Athens by the longer, flatter route. The exact length depended on the route established for each venue.

Who was the runner from Marathon to Athens?

The account of the run from Marathon to Athens first appears in Plutarch 's On the Glory of Athens in the 1st century AD, which quotes from Heraclides Ponticus 's lost work, giving the runner's name as either Thersipus of Erchius or Eucles.

Why was the Marathon created?

The event was instituted in commemoration of the fabled run of the Greek soldier Pheidippides, a messenger from the Battle of Marathon to Athens, who reported the victory. The marathon can be completed by running or with a run/walk strategy. There are also wheelchair divisions.

Where did the name Marathon come from?

The name Marathon comes from the legend of Philippides (or Pheidippides ), the Greek messenger. The legend states that, while he was taking part in the battle of Marathon, 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 the defeated Persians to rush into the Greek capital and claim a false victory in the Battle of Marathon, which took place in August or September, 490 BC, hence claiming their authority over Greek land. It is said that he ran the entire distance without stopping, discarding his weapons and even clothes to lose as much weight as possible, and burst into the assembly, exclaiming νενικήκαμεν ( nenikēkamen, "we have won!"), before collapsing and dying. The account of the run from Marathon to Athens first appears in Plutarch 's On the Glory of Athens in the 1st century AD, which quotes from Heraclides Ponticus 's lost work, giving the runner's name as either Thersipus of Erchius or Eucles. This is the account adopted by Benjamin Haydon for his painting Eucles Announcing the Victory of Marathon ., published as an engraving in 1836 with a poetical illustration by Letitia Elizabeth Landon. Satirist Lucian of Samosata (2nd century AD) first gives an account closest to the modern version of the story, but is writing tongue-in-cheek and also names the runner Philippides (not Pheidippides).

What year was the Boston Marathon?

The Boston Marathon began on 19 April 1897, and was inspired by the success of the first marathon competition in the 1896 Summer Olympics. It is the world's oldest run 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 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.

What is the world record for running a marathon?

The current world record time for men over the distance is 2 hours 1 minute and 39 seconds, set in the Berlin Marathon by Eliud Kipchoge of Kenya on 16 September 2018, an improvement of 1 minute 18 seconds over the previous record also set in the Berlin Marathon by Dennis Kipruto Kimetto, also of Kenya on 28 September 2014. The world record for women was set by Brigid Kosgei of Kenya in the Chicago Marathon on 13 October 2019, in 2 hours 14 minutes and 4 seconds who broke the record Paula Radcliffe of Great Britain had set over 16 years earlier at the London Marathon .

How many runners completed the marathon in 2014?

In 2014, an estimated 550,600 runners completed a marathon within the United States. This can be compared to 143,000 in 1980.