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The length of an Olympic marathon was not precisely fixed at first. Despite this, the marathon races in the first few Olympic Games were about 40 kilometres (25 mi), [44] roughly the distance from Marathon to Athens by the longer, flatter route. The exact length depended on the route established for each venue.
Since 1990, the Athens Classic Marathon has often served as the Greek national championships for the marathon event. [ 11 ] [ 13 ] Since 2007 the Association of International Marathons and Distance Races has organised an annual International Marathon Symposium in Marathon town the day prior to the race.
The first known written account of a run from Marathon to Athens occurs in the works of the Greek writer Plutarch (46–120 AD), 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". It seems likely that in the 500 years between ...
The route between Marathon and Panathenaic Stadium was repeated when Athens hosted the 2004 Games. The race distance varied from 40 to 42 kilometres (25 to 26 mi) in the early editions as it was typically based upon the distance between two points that the organisers felt were suitable.
The distance eventually became fixed at 42.195 kilometres (26 miles 385 yards), though for the first years it was variable, being around 40 kilometres (25 mi)—the approximate distance from Marathon to Athens. [136]
While there are debates around the accuracy of this historical legend, [16] whether Pheidippides ran from Marathon to Athens or between other cities, how far this was, and if he was the one to deliver the victory message, [17] the marathon running event of 26.2 miles / 42.195 km is based on this legend.
Plain of Marathon View of the Lake Marathon. The sophist and magnate Herodes Atticus was born in Marathon. In 1926, the American company ULEN began construction on the Marathon Dam in a valley above Marathon, in order to ensure water supply for Athens. It was completed in 1929. About 10 km 2 of forested land were flooded to form Lake Marathon.
Michel Bréal originated the idea of a race from the city of Marathon to Athens, taking inspiration from the legend of Pheidippides. The first such marathon race was a Greek national competition that served as a qualifier for the Olympic marathon, won by Charilaos Vasilakos. The length of the marathon in 1896 was approximately 40 km (25 mi). [2]