It goes something like this: a Greek messenger, Pheidippides, ran 26 miles from Marathon to Athens to bring news of the Athenian victory over the invading Persians. How did this arise? The name is also sometimes seen as Phidippides or Philippides. Most Greeks submitted to Persian demands, but Athens and Sparta refused. When French aristocrat, Pierre de Coubertin, founded the International Olympic Committee in 1894 it was decided to include a marathon over the distance run by Pheidippides in 490 BC, who ran from Marathon to Athens to announce the Greeks' victory over the Persians at the Battle of Marathon. Yet it is his effort that gives the race its name and distance. Exhausted, bloodied, and carrying their weapons and wounded, the Athenians nonetheless made the 26-mile journey, arriving just an hour or so before the first Persian ships. The Athenians couldn't wait, and even though badly outnumbered, they still opened up an urn of whoop-ass on the Persian Army. The invasion came at Marathon. Luc-Olivier Merson, Le Soldat de Marathon (1869). Legend is it was Pheidippides,3 the soldier who just a few days before had run round trip to Sparta. In return for the Athenian’s renewed respect towards him, Pan fought alongside them and, despite them being hopelessly outnumbered, helped them to drive back the Persians to their ships. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. A 153-mile race from Athens to Sparta, with a strict cut-off time of 36 hours, the race aims to retrace the footsteps of the great Greek messenger. Jeré Longman, The Marathon’s Random Route to Its Length. Pheidippides (5th century bc), Athenian messenger, who was sent to Sparta to ask for help after the Persian landing at Marathon in 490 and is said to have covered the 250 km (150 miles) in two days on foot. The ‘Men of Marathon’ were heralded as heroes, as much for their running as their fighting, and the tale of Pheidippides came to symbolise the greatness of soldiers and the role of the deities. You also have to say what the distance was.26.2 miles wasn't standard until more than 2000 years later.Also it was point to point so the time could not count as a record anyway. Pheidippides, in his time, had no idea he would have such a large impact on people today. The major exception is that of the “standard marathon”, an apparently arbitrary, but precise, distance of 26 miles 385 yards (42.195km). Other articles where Pheidippides is discussed: Battle of Marathon: …relates that a trained runner, Pheidippides (also spelled Phidippides, or Philippides), was sent from Athens to Sparta before the battle in order to request assistance from the Spartans; he is … The very name evokes images of one of Western history’s epochal conflicts — the Battle of Marathon. There is a modern bronze statue of Pheidippides in the town of Rafina (alongside the Marathon Road) and the Athletic Association of Marathon has taken Pheidippides as its official name.All this is very much in the spirit of the great revival of the Olympic Games that took place in 1896. In addition to the MLA, Chicago, and APA styles, your school, university, publication, or institution may have its own requirements for citations. Message communicated, he promptly dropped dead from exhaustion. While Pheidippides is best known for having inspired the modern marathon, his running heroics are also replicated each year at the Spartathlon. A 153-mile race from Athens to Sparta, with a strict cut-off time of 36 hours, the race aims to retrace the footsteps of the great Greek messenger. The honour of the first athlete to officially hold the world record for the “standard marathon” is thus the 2008 Olympic marathon gold medallist, American Johnny Haynes who won in 2:55:18. The first recorded account showing a courier running from Marathon to Athens to announce victory is from within Lucian's prose on the first use of the word "joy" as a greeting in A Slip of the Tongue in Greeting (2nd century AD). 1. be successful or victorious in (a contest or conflict): the Mets have won…, https://www.encyclopedia.com/humanities/dictionaries-thesauruses-pictures-and-press-releases/pheidippides. The Athenians marched directly at the core of the massed Persian forces, advancing ever faster as they neared until they sprinted the last 200 yards. The Marathon Man. For runners, the Battle of Marathon is indelibly associated with Pheidippides. won / wən; wän/ ) [tr.] In 1982, British RAF Wing Commander John Foden, Learn the history of the New York City Marathon and track the entrants in this year’s race at the, On This Day: Magic Johnson Reveals That He Has HIV, On This Day: Knickerbocker Club Establishes Rules of Modern Baseball, On This Day: Ray Chapman Fatally Injured by Pitch, On This Day: Bomb Explodes in Atlanta’s Olympic Park, The Kentucky Derby: “The Fastest Two Minutes in Sports”, March Madness: The 2011 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament, defeated the invading Persian army in a battle in the plain of Marathon, raced back to the city in intense late summer heat, suggested a long-distance race from Marathon to Athens, first marathon was 39.9 kilometers (24.8 miles), Pheidippides was sent to Sparta to ask the Spartans for assistance. Pan told him to ask the Athenians why they paid him no attention, in spite of his friendliness towards them and the fact that he had often been useful to them in the past, and would be so again in the future. Yes, and I'm rolling with the flow ... or to borrow a more contemporary analogy -- blowing with the wind...Here's my earnest response, laden with historical fact and just a touch of whimsy. Pheidippides, in his time, had no idea he would have such a large impact on people today. Athenian democracy was saved, and to commemorate Pheidippides's run, many of us now run a race–the marathon–that's about 25 miles long. When the Persian fleet arrived, the Athenian army was there to meet them. Heavily armed Greek hoplites smashed into the Persian lines and achieved a stunning victory. Fortunately, Pheidippides – or so the legend goes – met with the god Pan on the return leg. That race began at Windsor Castle and continued 26 miles to the Olympic Stadium. What are your predictions? A fitting tribute, then, to Pheidippides: the world’s first true running hero. Bacchanals were the Grecian equivalent of tailgating. © 2020 Independent Online and affiliated companies. A runner was sent to warn Athens and announce the victory at Marathon. Map by United States Military Academy Department of History. THE SPIRIT of Pheidippides certainly lives on in the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens (and other parts of Greece). It is not certain that Pheidippides was the runner, the exact route is not known and why would a 25 mile run kill a trained specialist? This is the distance which will be run through the Mother City on Sunday in the Cape Town Marathon. The distance between Windsor Castle and White City Stadium, was found to measure 26.2 miles, but this distance was only finally adopted by the IAAF in 1921 as the definitive “standard marathon”. Today’s races attract thousands, but the first marathoner ran alone and expired at the finish line. In a nod to Greek history, the first marathon commemorated the run of the soldier Pheidippides from a battlefield near the town of Marathon, Greece, to … The Legacy. Downloaded from. This distance was chosen to accommodate the British royal family at the 1908 London Olympics. The distance was 40 km (24.85 miles).6, Today marathons are slightly longer, 26 miles 385 yards to be exact. Therefore, be sure to refer to those guidelines when editing your bibliography or works cited list. It is not certain that Pheidippides was the runner, the exact route is not known and why would a 25 mile run kill a trained specialist? If you re-read Histories you'll find that Pheidippides was nowhere near Marathon at the time. Persia’s King Darius swore vengeance and assembled an attack fleet. The Spartans, being bad-assed-muthas, said "let's rumble", as they always do, but were right in the middle of another bacchanalia. This was doubly bad for Pheidippides: not only was he without the Spartans’ support, he also had to run all the way back to deliver the bad news. He didnt have the "benefit" of modern training techniques, smart coaches, GUs and gels, HRMs, pom pom girls on the course, bands, gatorade every mile nor a big feed at the finish so he might have actually run a decent time. It was a stunning victory – but neither the battle nor the running ceased there. Preparing for a marathon requires rigorous training and is no easy feat. It's … The Persians had had enough and sailed home.9. Persia was the superpower of the day, Greece just a collection of small city-states. If there was more drachma on the line, I'm sure some Nubians or Carthaginians would have sailed over and trashed him. Starting life in 1983, it now attracts ultrarunners the world over and is considered one of the most prestigious – not to mention preposterously difficult – footraces in the world. Join the Supporters Club today for exclusive content, discounts, and forum features. As many as 25,000 people will run 26.2 miles today in the Boston Marathon, first run in 1897, a year after the marathon race was created to honor the legendary run of Greek messenger Pheidippides from Marathon to Athens. Behind him, the battle-weary Athenians had to do some running of their own if they were to get to Phaleron before the Persians. If you re-read Histories you'll find that Pheidippides was nowhere near Marathon at the time.

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