Changes

The marathon is seen today as grueling long-distance, usually over 26 mile race. The battle of Marathon, fought between the Greek and Persian armies, and the resulting run by a Greek warrior to tell the victory is usually cited as the origin of this sport. While there is truth in this story, the history of the marathon is complex and its presence in many major world cities shows it still stands as one of the great events that tests human will and skill.

The earliest history of the marathon is likely legend based on some facts. The story of the legend states that the Greek messenger Pheidippides ran back to Athens in August/September 490 BCE, a distance of almost 26 miles, to inform the Athenian assembly that the Achaemenid army fighting at the battle of Marathon had been defeated. Very likely this story did not occur this way, as contemporary accounts do not corroborate this story and the story of Pheidippides' famous run only emerged in the 1st century CE. Plutarch in his work, <i>On the Glory of Athens</i>, mentions this famous event. Potentially more likely, although it is still unclear, there was a runner, perhaps called Pheidippides, who ran to Sparta from Athens to seek assistance from the Spartans as the Achaemenid army advanced.<ref>For more on the battle of Marathon and the history of the marathon's origins, see: Kyle, Donald G. 2007. <i>Sport and Spectacle in the Ancient World. Ancient Cultures</i>. Malden, MA ; Oxford: Blackwell Pub, pg. 96.</ref>

However, because the legend of Pheidippides was so well entrenched after Roman sources began to mention this event, this story became the critical event that helped shaped the development of the modern marathon. When the Olympics were revived in 1896, the idea was to revive a key event in the history of Greece and Athens. Therefore, the marathon was chosen as a commemorative event and that began the history of the modern marathon. Organizers of the Olympics Michel Bréal and Pierre de Coubertin wanted something to tie the modern Olympics with the ancient glory of Greece. The idea was popular and the first winner of the 1896 Olympic Marathon was a Greek runner named Spyridon Louis.<ref>For a history of the first marathon race in the first modern Olympics, see: Holmes, Burton. 1984. <i>The Olympian Games in Athens, 1896: The First Modern Olympics</i>. 1st Evergreen ed. New York: Grove Press.</ref>

[[File:Louis_entering_Kallimarmaron_at_the_1896_Athens_Olympics.jpg|thumbnail|330px|Spyridon Louis entering Olympic stadium in 1896.]]

With the introduction of the marathon as a new sport, it soon became popular as an event that was run outside of the Olympics. In 1897, the Boston Marathon began to be an annual event and today is one of six major world marathon events held where the world's top runners compete. The race is the oldest continuing marathon and has always been run on Patriot's day. The holiday symbolizes the first battles of the American Revolution and thus the Boston Athletic Association, who runs the event, uses the date to tie the American struggle for freedom with that of the ancient Greeks.<ref>For more information on the history of the Boston Marathon, see: Derderian, Tom. 2014. ''Boston Marathon a Celebration of the World’s Premier Race''. Triumph Books. http://public.eblib.com/choice/publicfullrecord.aspx?p=1648811.</ref>

Kenya stands out as a country that has, disproportional to its population, produced many great runners over the last few decades. This could be because populations there had evolved to use long-distance running. Genetically, Kenyans from the western part of the country have been shown to have relatively efficient bone structures for running that helps them to develop advantages over others. In examples, Kenyan boys training for a few months have been shown to outperform Western runners who had trained for many years. Much of that advantage derives from having a thin physique, long legs, and efficient body mass ratios that have helped runners from Kenya develop an advantage.<ref>For more on Kenya's success with the marathon, see: Pitsiladis, Yannis P, Yannis P Pitsiladis, Vincent O Onywera, Evelina Geogiades, William O’Connell, and Michael K Boit. 2004. “The Dominance of Kenyans in Distance Running.” <i>Equine and Comparative Exercise Physiology 1</i> (4): 285–91. doi:10.1079/ECP200433.</ref>

[[File:Boston1910.jpg|thumbnail|350 px|The Boston Marathon in 1910]]

With the entry of women, the marathon as we know it today had become set. The sport, among the most difficult of the Olympics, has become popular with many amateur runners around the world. Because few other sports test both stamina and physical ability, where the mental challenges of running for such a long distance are as significant as the physical ones, may help to explain why this sport is relatively popular. Increasingly, the sport is associated with raising charitable funds, as amateurs and professionals use the event to raise funds for their causes.<ref>For more on how today's marathon is popular with many amateur runners, see: Murphy, Sam, and Sam Murphy. 2009. Marathon and Half Marathon: From Start to Finish. London: A & C Black, pg. 165.</ref> Over half a million runners ran marathon races in 2014 in the US. Interestingly, it is the over 40 population segment that has grown the most substantially in participating in the marathon. Once again, it is likely the physical and mental demanding nature that has pushed the popularity of this sport for older athletes.<ref>For statistics on the popularity of the marathon, see: Zinner, Christoph, and Billy Sperlich. 2016. Marathon Running: Physiology, Psychology, Nutrition and Training Aspects, pg. 108.</ref>

For most runners, the marathon is a one-time event done to challenge one self and possibly raise funds. However, for some amateurs, it is a year-round lifestyle. Runners train for the many major events and the marathon has even inspired more extreme running events that have grown in popularity, ranging from ultra-marathons that are over 100 miles in some cases to difficult races that traverse wild terrain and mountainous areas. Medically, running can be addictive, with endorphins perhaps influencing some runners to keep running. Whatever the exact reasons, the trend of long-distance running inspired by the marathon continues to grow. Clubs and group training events can now be found in many places in Europe and the United States in particular.

Although perhaps a myth, the long-distance run from the plains of Marathon to Athens helped inspire the running of the modern marathon in 1896. The first modern Olympics soon inspired the Boston Marathon and ever since the sport has been growing in popularity. Today, thousands of towns and cities worldwide hold marathon events. Marathon running has become a highly competitive event where millions of dollars of prize money are at stake. The sport continues to be physically demanding, and in many major marathon events there are often reports of death or injury, but the association of fundraising, physical and mental challenge, and perhaps addictive nature of running for some has helped it to continue as a popular sport for many.

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