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The Soldier of Marathon Announcing the Victory (1834) by Jean-Pierre Cortot; Louvre, Paris. The Greek historian Herodotus was the first person to write about an Athenian runner named Pheidippides participating in the First Persian War. His account is as follows: [10] Before they left the city, the Athenian generals sent off a message to Sparta ...
The marathon race and course is inspired by the Ancient Athenian army run from Marathon to Athens after the Battle of Marathon. [3] Taking from the tradition of the Olympic Torch, the race features the Marathon Flame, which is lit at the Tomb of the Battle of Marathon [4] and carried to the stadium in Marathon before the beginning of each race. [5]
Charilaos Vasilakos (Greek: Χαρίλαος Βασιλάκος, November 1875 – 1 December 1964) [4] was a Greek athlete and the first man to win a marathon race. [5] He also won a silver medal [ a ] for second place finish at the 1896 Summer Olympics in Athens .
The name "Marathon" (Μαραθών) comes from the herb fennel, called márathon (μάραθον) or márathos (μάραθος) in Ancient Greek, [3] [n 2] so Marathon literally means "a place full of fennel". [5] It is believed that the town was originally named so because of an abundance of fennel plants in the area.
[14] In 1896, at the first modern Olympics, the very first modern-day marathon was run. To honor the history of Greek running, Greece chose a course that would mimic the route run by Athenian army. The route started at a bridge in the town of Marathon and ended in the Olympic stadium. Another event in the ancient Olympic Games was the pentathlon.
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The Alexander the Great Marathon (Greek: Μαραθώνιος Μέγας Αλέξανδρος) is an annual marathon race held in mid-April between Pella (birthplace of Alexander the Great) and Thessaloniki, Greece, since 2006. It is an AIMS-certified race, [2] and its editions of 2010 [3] and 2011 [4] received IAAF Bronze Label Road Race status.
Spyridon Louis (Greek: Σπυρίδων Λούης [spiˈriðon ˈluis], sometimes transliterated Spiridon Loues; [3] 12 January 1873 – 26 March 1940), commonly known as Spyros Louis (Σπύρος Λούης), was a Greek water carrier who won the first modern-day Olympic marathon at the 1896 Summer Olympics. Following his victory, he was ...