The Legend of Pheidippides

The origin story of the marathon begins in 490 BCE on the plains of Marathon, Greece. According to legend, a Greek messenger named Pheidippides ran from the town of Marathon to Athens — approximately 25 miles — to deliver news of the Greek victory over the Persian army at the Battle of Marathon. Upon delivering the message ("Nenikikamen" — "We have won!"), he collapsed and died.

While historians debate the precise details of this story, it captured the imagination of the ancient world and, centuries later, inspired the creation of an entirely new sporting event.

The Birth of the Modern Marathon: Athens 1896

When the modern Olympic Games were revived in Athens in 1896, French scholar Michel Bréal proposed a long-distance race commemorating Pheidippides' legendary run. The race was an immediate sensation. Greek runner Spiridon Louis won the inaugural Olympic marathon in 2 hours, 58 minutes, and 50 seconds — becoming a national hero overnight.

The early marathon distance was not standardized. Different races were held at varying distances between 24 and 26 miles until the 1908 London Olympics, where the distance was set at 26 miles 385 yards — the exact length needed for the race to start beneath the window of Windsor Castle and finish in front of the Royal Box at the Olympic stadium. That quirky distance became permanent, and 26.2 miles is now fixed as the official marathon standard.

The Rise of Road Marathons

For most of the 20th century, the marathon was an elite-only event. That began to change in the 1970s, led by a running boom in the United States. The New York City Marathon, founded in 1970, opened its doors to everyday runners and transformed the event from an obscure athletic discipline into a mass participation spectacle. By 1976, the race had drawn thousands of participants from around the world.

The Boston Marathon — which had been running since 1897 — also opened to broader participation during this era, adding women's official entry in 1972 (though Kathrine Switzer famously ran the race unofficially in 1967, nearly being removed by a race official).

Women in the Marathon: A Hard-Fought Right

For most of marathon history, women were barred from competing, based on the baseless belief that long-distance running was harmful to women's bodies. Roberta "Bobbi" Gibb became the first woman to run the full Boston Marathon in 1966, finishing without an official bib. The following year, Kathrine Switzer became the first woman to run Boston with an official race number. Women were finally granted full Olympic marathon inclusion at the 1984 Los Angeles Games, where Joan Benoit Samuelson won in a performance that captivated the world.

The World Marathon Majors

Today, marathon running is a global movement. The Abbott World Marathon Majors series — comprising Tokyo, Boston, London, Berlin, Chicago, and New York — draws millions of applicants annually for a limited number of spots. These six races represent the pinnacle of road racing and are events that runners plan and train toward for years.

The Six World Marathon Majors

  • Tokyo Marathon — March | Fast, flat, iconic city course
  • Boston Marathon — April | The world's oldest annual marathon; qualifier-only
  • London Marathon — April | Charity-focused; one of the world's largest fields
  • Berlin Marathon — September | Flat course; home to numerous world records
  • Chicago Marathon — October | Flat, fast, and famous for crowd support
  • New York City Marathon — November | Five boroughs; the world's largest marathon

Marathon Culture Today

What makes the marathon unique among sporting events is the way it brings people together across all ages, backgrounds, and abilities. From elite Kenyan and Ethiopian runners chasing world records to first-timers completing the journey in six hours — the finish line is shared by all of them. Marathon running has become not just a race, but a community, a language, and for many, a way of life. That spirit, born on a Greek battlefield over 2,500 years ago, shows no sign of slowing down.