Anybody who runs a marathon should be proud. It’s an accomplishment.
A runner has to train hard to run a marathon. Distance is the reason. At 26.2 miles, it can be completed by running, walking, or a combination of both.
Start of the NYC Marathon (photo, TCS NYC Marathon)
Despite degree of difficulty, marathons seem more popular than ever. More than 800 marathons are held throughout the world each year. Several marathons (New York and Boston) have thousands of participants.
The modern version was included as an original event in the first modern Olympics (1896). But it wasn’t until 1921 when today’s standard length–26.2 miles–became the norm.
Over the years, two aspects of the Olympic Marathon have changed.
First, runners traditionally finished the race in a stadium. That changed at the 2012 Games in London. The race start and finish were located at what’s known as ‘The Mall.’ Then, at the 2016 Rio Games, the runners finished at the Sambodromo, a parade area that also served as a spectator mall for Carnival.
Courtesy: Today in History
Second, for decades only men ran in the Olympic Marathon. That changed in 1984 when the event for women was introduced at the Los Angeles Games.
How did the Marathon begin? It started with the “Battle of Marathon,” which took place in 490 BC. The Greeks had just defeated the Persians at Marathon and wanted to let their people know about the victory. Pheidippides, who was a soldier and Greek messenger, was picked to be the communicator. He ran all the way to Athens and legend has it that he had to run around Mount Pentelicus to get there.
I’ve found running a marathon is be a huge accomplishment. Anybody who runs it should be proud–no matter what their time or order of finish.
