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The marathon is a long-distance Running event of 42.195 kilometres (26 miles 385 yards) that can be run either as a road race or off-road (for example, on mountain trails). HISTORY The name, "marathon", comes from the legend of 's ''On the Glory of Athens'' in the 1st century AD who quotes from Heraclides Ponticus ' lost work, giving the runner's name as either Thersipus of Erchius or Eucles.Moralia 347C Lucian Of Samosata (2nd century AD) also gives the story but names the runner Philippides (not Pheidippides).A slip of the tongue in Salutation, Chapter 3 The Greek historian Herodotus , the main source for the Greco-Persian Wars , mentions Pheidippides as the messenger who ran from Athens to Sparta asking for help.http://www.coolrunning.co.nz/articles/2002a007.html#appendix In some Herodotus manuscripts the name of the runner between Athens and Sparta is given as Philippides. There are two roads out of the battlefield of Marathon towards Athens, one more mountainous towards the north whose distance is about 34.5 km (21.4 miles), and another flatter but longer towards the south with a distance of 40.8 km (25.4 miles). It has been argued that the ancient runner took the more difficult northern road because at the time of the battle there were still Persian soldiers in the south of the plain. In 1876, Robert Browning wrote the poem "Pheidippides". Browning's poem, his composite story, became part of late 19th century popular culture and was accepted as an historic legend. Modern Olympics marathon When the idea of a modern Olympics became a reality at the end of the 19th century, the initiators and organizers were looking for a great popularizing event, recalling the ancient glory of Greece. The idea of organizing a marathon race came from Michel Bréal , who wanted the event to feature in the First Modern Olympic Games in 1896 in Athens. This idea was heavily supported by Pierre De Coubertin , the founder of the modern Olympics, as well as the Greeks. The Greeks staged a selection race for the Olympic marathon, and this first marathon was won by Charilaos Vasilakos in 3 hours and 18 minutes (with the future winner of the introductory Olympic Games marathon coming in fifth). The winner of the first Olympic Marathon in 1896 (a male only race) was Spiridon "Spiros" Louis , a Greek water-carrier. He won at the Olympics in 2 hours, 58 minutes and 50 seconds, despite stopping on the way for a glass of Wine from his uncle waiting near the village of Chalandri . The women's marathon was introduced at the 1984 Summer Olympics ( Los Angeles , USA ). DISTANCE The length of a marathon was not fixed at first, since the only important factor was that all athletes competed on the same course. The marathon races in the first few Olympic Games were not of a set length, but were roughly fixed at around 24 miles, the distance from Marathon to Athens. J.Bryant, 100 Years and Still Running, ''Marathon News'' (2007) The exact length of the Olympic marathon varied depending on the route established for each venue. The marathon at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London was set to measure about 25 miles and to start on ‘The Long Walk’ – a magnificent avenue leading up to Windsor Castle in the grounds of Windsor Great Park . The Princess Of Wales wanted her children to watch the start of the race, so the start of the race was moved to the east lawn of Windsor Castle, increasing its length to 26 miles. The race was to finish as the Great White City Stadium in Shepherd's Bush in London; however, Queen Alexandra insisted on having the best view of the finish; so, in the words of the official Olympic report, "385 yards were run on the cinder track to the finish, below the Royal Box". The length then became 42.195 km (26 miles 385 yards). For the next Olympics in 1912, the length was changed to 40.2 km (24.98 miles) and changed again to 42.75 km (26.56 miles) for the 1920 Olympics until it was fixed at the 1908 distance for the 1924 Olympics. In fact, of the first seven Olympic Games , there were six different marathon distances between 40 km and 42.75 km (40 km being used twice). Following the 1908 Olympics in London, an annual event called the Polytechnic Marathon had been instituted over the 1908 distance of 26 miles 385 yards (42.195 km), and it was largely due to the prestige of the Polytechnic Marathon that 42.195 km was adopted as the official marathon distance in 1921 by the International Amateur Athletic Federation (IAAF) - Rule 240 of their Competition Rules. {Link without Title} . The distance converted into miles, 26.2187, has been rounded to 26.22 in the table (a difference of about two yards). WORLD RECORDS AND “WORLD'S BEST” World Records were not officially recognised by the IAAF until 1 January 2004 ; previously, the best times for the marathon were referred to as the 'world best'. Courses must conform to IAAF standards for a record to be recognized. However, marathon routes still vary greatly in elevation, course, and surface, making exact comparisons impossible. Typically, the fastest times are set over relatively flat courses near sea level, during good weather conditions and with the assistance of Pacesetter s. The world record time for men over the distance is 2 hours 4 minutes and 55 seconds, set in the Berlin Marathon by Paul Tergat of Kenya on September 28 , 2003 (ratified as the world record by the IAAF on 1 January 2004 ), an improvement of 20 minutes and 44 seconds since 1947 ( Marathon World Best Progression ). The world record for women was set by Paula Radcliffe of United Kingdom in the London Marathon on 13 April 2003 , in 2 hours 15 minutes and 25 seconds. This time was set using male Pacesetter s — the fastest time by a woman without using a male pacesetter ('woman-only') was also set by Paula Radcliffe, again during the London Marathon, with a time of 2 hours 17 minutes and 42 seconds set on 17 April 2005 . All-time men's best marathon times under 2h 10'30" All-time women's best marathon times under 2h 30'00" OLYMPIC TRADITIONS Since the modern games were founded, it has become a tradition for the men's Olympic marathon to be the last event of the athletics calendar, with a finish inside the Olympic stadium, often within hours of, or even incorporated into, the closing ceremonies. The marathon of the 2004 Summer Olympics revived the long-established route from Marathon to Athens ending at Panathinaiko Stadium , the venue for the 1896 Summer Olympics . RUNNING A MARATHON General Completing a marathon is considered very difficult, but many coaches believe that it is possible for anyone who is willing to put in the time and effort. Various first-person accounts of (first-time) marathon training and successful racing can be found on the internet, e.g. on the Dead Runners Society Electronic Mailing List . Finish times for non-professional runners Obviously, most participants do not run a marathon to win. More important for most runners is their personal finish time and their placement within their specific age group and gender. Another very important goal is to break certain time barriers. For example, ambitious recreational first-timers often try to run the marathon under 4 hours; more competitive runners may attempt to run under 3 hours. Other benchmarks are the qualifying times for major marathons. Especially important among these are the times necessary to obtain entry for the Boston Marathon , the only marathon which requires qualifying times for all non-professional runners. Training For most runners, the marathon is the longest run they have ever attempted. Many coaches believe that the most important element in marathon training is the long run. Recreational runners commonly try to reach a maximum of about 20 miles (32 kilometres) in their longest weekly run and about 40 miles (64 kilometres) a week in total when training for the marathon, but wide variability exists in practice and in recommendations. More experienced marathoners may run a longer distance, and more miles or kilometres during the week. Greater weekly training mileages can offer greater results in terms of distance and endurance, but also carry a greater risk of training injury. Most male elite marathon runners will have weekly mileages of over 100 miles (160 kilometres).1 |
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