The origin story of the marathon is a fascinating and extraordinary history journey. From its genesis in ancient Greece to the enormous popularity of the modern-day marathon, it’s an amazing story. Join us as we chronicle the history of the marathon and where it is today. So, when was the first marathon? Let’s find out.
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.
Let’s take a look at what happened on that day and why the legendary story of Pheidippides is not quite the full story.
The Story Of Pheidippides.
Most people know the story of Pheidippides, a messenger runner for the Athenian army, and how he ran from the battlefield at Marathon back to Athens to announce the victory of the Athenians over the invading Persians. Having relayed his message he promptly dropped dead from the exertion. That run was a distance of about 40 kilometres.
The reason Pheidippides died was not solely from the run from Marathon, but what happened immediately before that fateful day.
When the invading Persians landed at the bay of Marathon, their troops numbered around 25,000, the Athenian army at Marathon numbered only around 10,000. They were hopelessly outnumbered.
The only way, back in those days, to relay messages between Athens and the army generals in the field was with professional army runners such as Pheidippides.
Accordingly, Pheidippides was sent from Athens to Sparta to ask Sparta for help in the battle with the Persians. This was a distance of around 240 kilometres. The Spartans couldn’t immediately help and so Pheidippides ran all the way back to Athens to relay that message, and then on to Marathon.
The Invading Persians
The Persians meanwhile, had their eye on the main prize which was Athens, so they split their forces into two. 15,000 would remain to defeat the Athenian army at Marathon and the other 10,000 sailed for Athens. Since the entire Athenian army of 10,000 was sent to defend against the Persians landing at Marathon, Athens was left undefended and the Persians saw an opportunity.
Realising that the Persians had split their forces, one of the 11 commanding Athenian Generals, Miltiades, advocated for an immediate surprise attack on the Persians. The other Generals thought it would be a suicide mission but ultimately agreed.
The Greek attack was hugely successful and against all odds, defeated the Persians.
Pheidippides was immediately dispatched back to Athens to relay the message of the Greek victory in the battle of Marathon. Arriving in Athens and after all the exertion of the run to Sparta, the battle at Marathon and the run back to Athens, Pheidippides was said to have passed on the victory message and then died.
Another Superhuman Feat.
Earlier I said that the run of Pheidippides back to Athens was not the full story behind the legend of Marathon, because another superhuman event also took place on that day.
After the Greeks had defeated the Persians at Marathon they also had to make the arduous run back to Athens to defend the city from the approaching Persians. They only had a few short hours to get there before the Persians would land. Since Athens was undefended it would fall easily to the invaders if they did not make it in time.
Incredibly, the entire Athenian army ran, in full battle gear, exhausted from combat, non-stop the 40 kilometres back to Athens. Arriving with just minutes to spare before the Persian fleet was within striking distance of the city. Exhausted after the battle at Marathon and the run back to Athens, the Greeks were now confronted with another huge battle.
What Pheidippides did was nothing short of miraculous but credit must also be given to the Athenian army, theirs was also a story of superhuman effort and a major contributing factor in the legend of the Marathon.
The story ends when the Persians who were expecting Athens to be undefended, saw the Athenian army waiting for them, and promptly turned around their ships and sailed away.
The Greeks were victorious.
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.
So when was the first marathon?
The marathon was a feature event of the inaugural modern Olympic Games which began on 6th April 1896.
Foot races were a part of the ancient Olympic Games, but these were short-distance sprints. It is generally accepted by historians that the ancient Olympic Games which started in 776BC and ran until 393AD, did not include a long-distance running event.
1503 years later, the Olympic Games was reborn featuring the marathon event which at the time was 40 kilometres long, the distance between Marathon and Athens.
The winner of the very first Olympic marathon event on 10th April 1896 was fittingly a Greek athlete by the name of Spyridon Louis in a time of 2 hours, 58 minutes and 50 seconds.
Let’s now take a look at the marathon of the modern era.
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.
Finishing times have been gradually reducing over the years. From the very first Olympic marathon winners time of 2:58:50 to Eliud Kipchoge’s time of 2:08:38 in 2021. A massive 50 minutes quicker.
However, Eliud’s amazing effort is not the quickest in Olympic marathon history, that honour belongs to Kenya’s Samuel Wanjiru in a time of 2:06:32 in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. For the woman, the Olympic record is held by Tiki Gelana from Ethiopia in a time of 2:23:07 in the 2012 London Olympics.
Interesting fact: Ethiopian Abebe Bikila was the first Black African to ever win an Olympic gold medal when he won the marathon at the 1960 Olympics in Rome. Amazingly, he ran the entire race in bare feet. The story doesn’t end there, four years later at the 1964 Toyko Olympics, Abebe won the marathon again and became the first athlete to win the marathon twice. This time he completed that feat with shoes on.
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.
To answer that question we need to go back to the 1908 Olympic Games in London.
The course of the 1908 London Olympic Marathon was largely set to accommodate the wishes of the British Royal family.
The race was to start at Windsor Castle, under the nursery window, which would allow the youngest royals to watch the start of the race. The marathon was set to end in front of the royal box at the Olympic Stadium. The course distance was precisely measured and came out at 26.2 miles or 42.195 kilometres.
Until that point, the distance of each Olympic Marathon was only approximately 40kms, each city was slightly different. However, in 1921 the distance was finally standardised by the International Amateur Athletic Federation (IAAF) and the 1908 London event was chosen as the official distance.
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.
If a woman wanted to run in a marathon, the best she could do was run alongside the course of a marathon event, and a few remarkable women did exactly that.
The Boston Marathon.
The most famous marathon race in the world outside the Olympic Marathon was the Boston Marathon. Beginning in 1897, the Boston Marathon excluded women from running until the 1970s.
In the 1966 event, a female runner named Roberta Gibb had to hide behind a bush at the start of the race and then snuck into the field after the starter’s gun fired.
She was inspired to prove that a woman could run a marathon by a note that was attached to her returned entry form saying that women were not physically capable of running a full marathon. She proved them wrong and finished in an (unofficial) time of 3:21:25.
The Story of Katherine Switzer.
The following year’s race saw one amazing female runner, Katherine Switzer enter the race on a ticket just using her initials K.V. Switzer. The race officials, assuming she was male, granted the entry. Katherine was supported by her coach and boyfriend who were to run the race with her.
The events that followed on that day were incredible to say the very least. It’s such an inspirational story that rather than summarise it here, I will give you the link to read the first-hand account of that day from Katherine herself. It’s a must-read story.
The inspirational story of Katherine Switzer here.
Women Finally Given Official Entry To Marathon Events.
Finally, in 1972 women were granted official entry into the Boston Marathon. In that year eight female runners entered and all eight finished.
The first women’s Olympic Marathon wasn’t until the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. That event was won by American Joan Benoit in a time of 2:24:52. In all, there were 50 competitors from 28 countries and 44 finishers.
Australia’s biggest marathon, the Melbourne Marathon, held its inaugural event in 1978 and was open to women runners from the very first race. That year there were 123 female entrants.
The oldest marathon event in Australia is the Traralgon Marathon which began in 1968 and was an all-male race. Women were admitted to the race in 1978.
These days, women make up over 31% of entrants in marathon events around the world.
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.
There’s no doubt that the marathon has been going through quite a boom in popularity in recent years. With over 800 official marathons held around the world each year, and with participation growing, this aspirational event has a bright future.
2020 and 2021 have seen most races around the world cancelled due to the pandemic, but in a lot of cases, these have been substituted with virtual events. Whilst not as fantastic as competing in the real thing, at least we can still run.
Running is a high-profile sport and completing a marathon is the holy grail for millions of runners worldwide. With all the health benefits that come from running and with such a magnificent goal to aspire to, the marathon will only grow in popularity. Amen to that.
Happy running,
Steve
