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A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE MARATHON
A Heroic Act by one Athenian Runner-Messenger Created A Running Challenge for
Modern Man.
In 490BC the Persian Army had mustered
an estimated 150,000 troops to invade Greece, in order to punish Athens for
their part in the Ionian Revolt. Led by Generals Datis and Artaphernes, their
attack was launched from the Marathon gulf. The Athenian forces consisted of
10,000 citizen-soldiers, including 1,000 soldiers from Plataea, and were lead by
General Miltiades. The two forces met near the small village of Marathon to the
north of Athens, in September 490BC. The Persian military was considered one of
the greatest fighting forces of the era, and the Athenians were fighting against
all odds.
Despite being greatly outnumbered the Athenians fought and won the Marathon
battle. The casualties were recorded as 192 Athenians, 11 Plataeans and 6,400
Persians.
All 192 Athenians were buried in an
area today called the Tomb of Marathon. This battle was one of the proudest
moments in the history of ancient Greece. The Athenian and Plataeans forces beat
the Persians for the first time on land. The victory endowed them with a faith
in their destiny which was to endure for three centuries, during which time
western culture was born. It is said that a defeat of the Athenians in this
battle could easily have changed the tide of history.
Although the writings do not mention his name, the legend says that a brave
Athenian called Pheidippides ran the 40km (approximately 25 miles) from the
battlefield at Marathon to Athens to announce the Greek victory. “Nenikèkamen”
(“We are victorious”) or “Niki” (“Victory”) and then collapsed from exhaustion
and died. It is quite possible that he may have also taken part in that battle.
Almost 24 centuries later, in 1896,
the first modern Olympic Games were held in Athens, Greece. The French historian
and linguist Michele Breal proposed re-enacting the legendary run in a running
event that would test man's powers of endurance. He even offered to put up a
silver trophy for the winner. Baron Pierre de Coubertin, the inspirer of the
Modern Olympic Games, and Dimitris Vikelas, the Greek scholar and first
president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) from 1894 to 1896,
embraced the idea with enthusiasm. The legend of the Athenian
soldier-runnermessenger was therefore honored by a 40km (24.85 mile) run from
the Marathon bridge to the Marble Olympic Stadium of Athens.
This first organized Marathon race
took place on 10 April 1896, during the first Modern Olympic Games, and it was
especially important to all Greeks. The host nation of the first Olympics became
ecstatic as Spyridon Louis, a Greek water carrier, won the final, climactic race
in 2:58':50''. A 40-kilometre (24.85 mile) race called 'The Marathon' was born.
Spyridon Louis, as the first Olympic Marathon gold medalist, became a legend,
and the course from Marathon to Athens, used today for the annual Athens Classic
Marathon, became known as the “authentic”, the “original” Marathon course.
The next two Olympic Marathons were run over similar distances, being hosted in
Paris in 1900 and St. Louis in 1904. A Parisian, Michel Théato, won the marathon
in Paris after much controversy whilst Thomas Hicks, a Briton running for the
USA, won the St. Louis Olympic Marathon under even more bizarre circumstances.
It was at the 1908 Olympics in London where the Marathon was to find its now
standard distance of 26 miles 385 yards – later converted to 42.195km. The
distance originally planned for at those Olympic Games was also 25 miles (just
short of 40km), but the route from the start at Windsor Castle (selected to win
Royal patronage) to the newly built stadium at White City was closer to 26 miles
(41.842km) and the course manager fixed this as the distance from the start to
the Stadium entrance.
Another team was responsible for what happened inside the stadium, and the
distance from the entrance to the finish line in front of the royal box was 385
yards (352m). This was in a clockwise direction around the 536.4m track
(one-third of a mile), at a time when races would be run either way around the
track. If they had chosen to run the track the other way around, the distance
would have been about 160m less – which could have had a crucial bearing on the
subsequent history of the Marathon.
The winner was the American runner, Johnny Hayes, but the Italian, Dorando
Pietri, entered the stadium first and collapsed five times as he staggered
around the track. He was later, on appeal from the Americans, deemed to have
been “assisted” by officials over the final 30m, and disqualified. Due to the
resulting controversy, he was awarded a gold trophy by QueenAlexandra for his
efforts.
Of greater significance for the Marathon itself, the furore had piqued the
interest of the betting community and a series of re-matches were set up in the
following year, mainly in the United States, over courses of exactly the same
distance.
It was this first “Marathon boom” following on from the 1908 Olympics which
eventually led to the distance being officially adopted at the 1924
Paris Olympics.
Marathons have since become a running tradition throughout the world. Yet the
annual Athens Classic Marathon, where it all began, has a tradition and an
appeal like no other. Thousands of runners from every part of the world gather
every year to run in the footsteps of the legendary Greek
soldier-runner-messenger.
No matter where you run the Marathon during 2012, you will become part of
marathon history, but what better
place to be than where it all started? Go to run the original course, from
Marathon to Athens, finish victorious inside the Marble Panathenaikon Stadium
and celebrate the 2500 anniversary of the auspicious Battle of Marathon.
1908 pictures from THE MARATHON MAKERS by John Bryant
(John Blake Publishing)
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