"as Philippides, and this name is also preferred in a few modern editions. 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. This would echo the legendary version"
"Spyridon Louis Spyridon Louis ( , sometimes transliterated ""Spiridon Loues""; 12 January 1873 – 26 March 1940), commonly Spyros Louis (Σπύρος Λούης), was a Greek water-carrier who won the first modern-day Olympic marathon at the 1896 Summer Olympics. Following his victory, he was celebrated as a national hero. A former soldier, Louis was encouraged to try out for the Olympics by his former commanding officer. After progressing through qualifying, he went on to win the inaugural Olympic marathon after placing first from seventeen competitors. Louis later became a police officer and a farmer. Outside of his athletics career, Louis was"
"Pheidippides Pheidippides () or Philippides (Φιλιππίδης) is the central figure in the story that inspired a modern sporting event, the marathon race. Pheidippides is said to have run from Marathon to Athens to deliver news of a military victory against the Persians at the Battle of Marathon. 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"". The traditional story relates that Pheidippides (530–490 BC), an Athenian herald or ""hemerodrome"" (translated"
"this event on the programme of the first modern Olympics in Athens in 1896 to his friend Pierre de Coubertin. The event was to commemorate the Greek soldier Pheidippides who, according to several legends, ran from the Battle of Marathon to either Athens or Sparta. Michel Bréal Michel Jules Alfred Bréal (; 26 March 183225 November 1915), French philologist, was born at Landau in Rhenish Palatinate. He is often identified as a founder of modern semantics. After studying at Wissembourg, Metz and Paris, he entered the École Normale Supérieure in 1852. In 1857 he went to Berlin, where he studied"
"Spyridon ""Spyros"" Louis, coming in fifth at a second race two weeks later). The winner of the first Olympic marathon, on 10 April 1896 (a male-only race), was Spyridon Louis, a Greek water-carrier, in 2 hours 58 minutes and 50 seconds. The marathon of the 2004 Summer Olympics was run on the traditional route from Marathon to Athens, ending at Panathinaiko Stadium, the venue for the 1896 Summer Olympics. That men's marathon was won by Italian Stefano Baldini in 2 hours 10 minutes and 55 seconds, a record time for this route until the non-Olympics Athens Classic Marathon of 2014,"
"of events, with the competitors running from Marathon to Athens. So popular was this event that it quickly caught on, becoming a fixture at the Olympic games, with major cities staging their own annual events. The distance eventually became fixed at 26 miles 385 yards, or 42.195 km, though for the first years it was variable, being around —the approximate distance from Marathon to Athens. Battle of Marathon The Battle of Marathon (Greek: , ""Machē tou Marathōnos"") took place in 490 BC, during the first Persian invasion of Greece. It was fought between the citizens of Athens, aided by Plataea,"
"from the town of Marathon, Greece to carry the message of a Greek victory, the 1896 course began in the town of Marathon and finished in Athens' Panathenaic Stadium – a distance of around . On April 10, 1896, Greek water-carrier Spyridon Louis won the first Olympic marathon in 2 hours 58 minutes and 50 seconds. The route between Marathon and Panathenaic Stadium was repeated when Athens hosted the 2004 Games. The race distance varied from in the early editions as it was typically based upon the distance between two points that the organisers felt were suitable. The 1908 London"
"Marathon to Athens occurs in the works of the Greek writer Plutarch (46–120), in his essay ""On the Glory of Athens"". Plutarch attributes the run to a herald called either Thersippus or Eukles. Lucian, a century later, credits one ""Philippides."" It seems likely that in the 500 years between Herodotus's time and Plutarch's, the story of Pheidippides had become muddled with that of the Battle of Marathon (particularly the story of the Athenian forces making the march from Marathon to Athens in order to intercept the Persian ships headed there), and some fanciful writer had invented the story of the"
"Bréal, who was inspired by the legend of the messenger Pheidippides, who had run from Marathon to Athens to announce the Athenian victory in the Battle of Marathon—and then dropped dead. The Greeks were very enthusiastic about this new event and decided to hold qualifiers for the marathon. These races were started by Colonel Papadiamantopoulos, who Louis previously served under in the military. The first qualifying race—the first ever marathon race—was held on 22 March, and was won by Charilaos Vasilakos in 3 hours, 18 minutes. Louis participated in the second qualifying race, two weeks later, and placed fifth. Papadiamantopoulos,"
"point for both the 1896 and 2004 Olympic marathons. In 1982, the organisers dedicated the race to Grigoris Lambrakis, an athlete and Member of the Greek Parliament, whose murder in the 1960s has become an inspirational cause for advocates of human rights. Since 2007 the Association of International Marathons and Distance Races has organised an annual International Marathon Symposium in Marathon town the day prior to the race. Taking from the tradition of the Olympic Torch, the race features the Marathon Flame, which is lit at the Tomb of the Battle of Marathon and carried to the stadium in Marathon"
"Spartathlon Spartathlon is a ultramarathon race held annually in Greece since 1983, between Athens and Sparti, the modern town on the site of ancient Sparta. As opposed to the ahistorical origin story of the marathon, the spartathlon is based on the historical run of Pheidippides, who ran from Athens to Sparta before the Battle of Marathon in a day and a half to seek aid against the Persians. Five Royal Air Force officers attempted the course in 1982 and the competition was started the next year. The winner of the first Spartathlon, Yiannis Kouros, still holds the record for fastest"
"bring sudden ill fortune to those who had experienced an excess of good. The statue was said to have been made from marble provided by Datis for a memorial to the Persians' expected victory. Miltiades Miltiades (; ; c. 550 – 489 BC), also known as Miltiades the Younger, was an Athenian citizen known mostly for his role in the Battle of Marathon, as well as for his downfall afterwards. He was the son of Cimon Coalemos, a renowned Olympic chariot-racer, and the father of Cimon, the noted Athenian statesman. Miltiades was a well-born Athenian, and considered himself a member"
"run from Marathon to Athens. Based on this account, British RAF Wing Commander John Foden and four other RAF officers travelled to Greece in 1982 on an official expedition to test whether it was possible to cover the nearly 250 kilometres in a day and a half (36 hours). Three runners were successful in completing the distance: John Foden (37:37), John Scholtens (34:30) and John McCarthy (39:00). Since 1983, it has been an annual footrace from Athens to Sparta, known as the Spartathlon, celebrating Pheidippides's at least semi-historical run across 246 km of Greek countryside. Pheidippides Pheidippides () or Philippides"
"Charilaos Vasilakos Charilaos Vasilakos (, 1875 – December 1, 1964) was a Greek athlete and the first man to win a marathon race. He also won a silver medal at the 1896 Summer Olympics in Athens. Vasilakos was born in Piraeus, Greece. His father Michael Vasilakos was from the Mani region and served in the army. The oldest of three siblings, at age fourteen his father died. As a young man he studied Law at the University of Athens and worked in the Athens court of first instance. A member of Panellinios sport club, he was a dedicated athlete and"
"a two-day run to seek Spartan help against the invading Persians in the Battle of Marathon, and then ran from the town of Marathon to Athens days later to announce the victory, dying as a result of his heroic efforts. The race started in Marathon, and ran for 40 kilometres over dusty roads to Athens. The Greek public, disappointed as there had not yet been a Greek victor in athletics, was overjoyed when it was announced during the race that a Greek runner had taken the lead. When Spiridon Louis, a water carrier from Maroussi, arrived in the stadium he"
"Echetlus Echetlaeus (Ancient Greek: Ἐχετλαῖος) or Echetlus (Ἔχετλος) was an ancient Athenian mythical hero of the Battle of Marathon with the Persians of the Achaemenid Empire. The latter name was also the name of a hero of ancient Thebes. The following tradition was current in ancient Athens after the Battle of Marathon. During the battle, a man appeared among the Athenians, who resembled a rustic, and slew many of the Persians with his plough. After the battle, he disappeared. When the Athenians searched for him, they couldn't find him anywhere.When they consulted the oracle, they were commanded to worship the"
"fragments might be attached if they are found. The unveiling of the Nike monument was among a series of events scheduled by the culture and tourism ministry of Greece to celebrate the 2,500th anniversary since the Battle of Marathon. In the Museum in front of the original statue there is also a copy showing how the statue looked like when it was whole and undamaged. Callimachus (polemarch) Callimachus ( ""Kallímakhos"") was the Athenian polemarch at the Battle of Marathon which took place during 490 BC. According to Herodotus he was from the Attica deme of Afidnes. As polemarch, Callimachus had"
"to wife Helen. He died in Athens in 1964. The 2011 book titled ""Ο Χαρίλαος Βασιλάκος και η αμφιλεγόμενη πρωτιά του Σπύρου Λούη"", which translates from Greek to ""Charilaos Vasilakos and the controversial lead of Spyros Louis"", presents a biography of Vasilakos and signs which challenge the 1896 Olympic race results. Charilaos Vasilakos Charilaos Vasilakos (, 1875 – December 1, 1964) was a Greek athlete and the first man to win a marathon race. He also won a silver medal at the 1896 Summer Olympics in Athens. Vasilakos was born in Piraeus, Greece. His father Michael Vasilakos was from the"
"town of Marathon, Greece in order to announce a battle victory over the Persians in 490 B.C. Shortly upon arrival, he had dropped dead due to this exhaustive journey from Marathon to Athens. Thousands of years later, marathon running began to be part of world sports starting at the inaugural Marathon featuring in the 1896 Modern Olympic Games. After variations for about 40 or so years, the established distance of the 42.195 kilometer or 26.2 mile trek has popularized over the last half century. The number of marathons in the United States has grown just over 45 times in this"
"initiators and organizers were looking for a great popularizing event, recalling the glory of ancient Greece. The idea of 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 by the Greeks. The Greeks staged a selection race for the Olympic marathon on 22 March 1896 (Gregorian) that was won by Charilaos Vasilakos in 3 hours and 18 minutes (with the future winner of the introductory Olympic Games marathon,"
"Miltiades Miltiades (; ; c. 550 – 489 BC), also known as Miltiades the Younger, was an Athenian citizen known mostly for his role in the Battle of Marathon, as well as for his downfall afterwards. He was the son of Cimon Coalemos, a renowned Olympic chariot-racer, and the father of Cimon, the noted Athenian statesman. Miltiades was a well-born Athenian, and considered himself a member of the Aeacidae, as well as a member of the prominent Philaid clan. He came of age during the tyranny of the Peisistratids. His family was prominent, due in good part to their success"
"Kyriakides running besides Spyros Louis shows him the way to victory . In 2006 the statue was dedicated to the 60 years of the victory Kyriakides. A copy of the same sculpture is placed in the Municipality of Marathon in Greece. Stylianos Kyriakides Stylianos ""Stelios"" Kyriakides (; May 4, 1910 (Paphos, Cyprus OS/NS) – December 1987) was a marathon runner who came first at the Boston Marathon in 1946, with the aim of raising money to provide food and shelter to the Greeks, who were experiencing severe poverty issues from the Second World War. He was born in the mountain"
"hero. Another tale from the conflict is of the dog of Marathon. Aelian relates that one hoplite brought his dog to the Athenian encampment. The dog followed his master to battle and attacked the Persians at his master's side. He also informs us that this dog is depicted in the mural of the Stoa Poikile. According to Herodotus, an Athenian runner named Pheidippides was sent to run from Athens to Sparta to ask for assistance before the battle. He ran a distance of over 225 kilometers (140 miles), arriving in Sparta the day after he left. Then, following the battle,"
"to Heracles, who possessed a sanctuary in the plain. Marathon is also celebrated in the legends of Theseus, who conquered the ferocious bull, which used to devastate the plain. Marathon is mentioned in Homer's ""Odyssey"" in a way that implies that it was then a place of importance. In mythology, its name was derived from an eponymous hero Marathon, who is described by Pausanias as a son of Epopeus, king of Sicyon, who fled into Attica in consequence of the cruelty of his father Plutarch calls him an Arcadian, who accompanied the Dioscuri in their expedition into Attica, and voluntarily"
"before the beginning of each race. The 2010 edition of the event was combined with the celebration of the 2500th anniversary of the Battle of Marathon. As the 2500 anniversary was actually in 2011, this year was also celebrated as the anniversary run. Greek competitors have traditionally been strong in the men's and women's competitions. However, East Africans and Japanese runners have increasingly become the dominant runners from 1999 onwards. Since 1990, the Athens Classic Marathon has often served as the Greek national championships for the marathon event. The current course records are 2:10:37 hours for men, set by Felix"
"as ""day-runner"" (Kyle 2007), ""courier"" (Larcher 1806), ""professional-running courier"" (Sears 2003) or ""day-long runner"" (Miller 2006)), was sent to Sparta to request help when the Persians landed at Marathon, Greece. He ran about in two days. He then ran the from the battlefield near Marathon to Athens to announce the Greek victory over Persia in the Battle of Marathon (490 BC) with the word (""nikomen"" ""We win!""), as stated by Lucian ""chairete, nikomen"" (""hail, we are the winners"") and then collapsed and died. Most accounts incorrectly attribute this story to the historian Herodotus, who wrote the history of the Persian"
"the Olympic marathon at the London Games. He died in Athens in 1987. A sculpture of Kyriakides called ""The Spirit of the Marathon"" was unveiled in Boston in 2004. It is at the 1-mile mark of the marathon in Hopkinton. It was commissioned by the Hopkinton Athletic Association and was dedicated in 2006 to mark the 60th anniversary of Kyriakides' victory in the 1946 race. """"The winner of the 50th Boston Marathon, Kyriakides used his victory as a call to action to aid his war and famine-ravaged homeland. Kyriakides, who narrowly escaped execution during World War II during the Nazi"
"of the original statue there is also a small copy showing how the statue looked when it was whole and undamaged. Nike of Callimachus The Nike of Callimachus () also known as ""The Dedication of Callimachus"", is a statue that the Athenians created in honor of the Callimachus. Callimachus was the Athenian polemarch at the Battle of Marathon at 490 BC. He had the last vote and voted in favour of a battle, when the 10 strategoi were split evenly on the matter. He was killed at the battle and the Athenians erected the statue for him. The statue was"
"than three hours. Vasilakos finished second, followed 30 seconds later by Spyridon Belokas and Gyula Kellner. Kellner subsequently lodged a protest claiming Belokas had covered part of the course by carriage after having supposedly dropped out of the race; the protest was upheld, and Belokas was disqualified. Athletics at the 1896 Summer Olympics – Men's marathon The men's marathon event was a special race invented as part of the Athletics at the 1896 Summer Olympics programme. Michel Bréal originated the idea of a race from the city of Marathon to Athens, taking inspiration from the legend of Pheidippides. The first"
"Battle of Marathon The Battle of Marathon (Greek: , ""Machē tou Marathōnos"") took place in 490 BC, during the first Persian invasion of Greece. It was fought between the citizens of Athens, aided by Plataea, and a Persian force commanded by Datis and Artaphernes. The battle was the culmination of the first attempt by Persia, under King Darius I, to subjugate Greece. The Greek army decisively defeated the more numerous Persians, marking a turning point in the Greco-Persian Wars. The first Persian invasion was a response to Athenian involvement in the Ionian Revolt, when Athens and Eretria had sent a"
"Yiannis Kouros Yiannis Kouros (; born February 13, 1956 in Tripoli, Greece) is a Greek ultramarathon runner based in Melbourne. He is sometimes called the ""Running God"" or ""Pheidippides' Successor"". He holds many men's outdoor road world records from 100 to 1,000 miles and many road and track records from 12 hours to 6 days. In 1991, he starred as Pheidippides in the movie ""The Story of the Marathon: A Hero's Journey"", which chronicles the history of marathon running. Kouros came to prominence when he won the Spartathlon in 1984 in record time and the Sydney to Melbourne Ultramarathon in"
"son of the former tyrant of Athens, Peisistratus. The Athenians, joined by a small force from Plataea, marched to Marathon, and succeeded in blocking the two exits from the plain of Marathon. At the same time, Athens' greatest runner, Pheidippides (or Philippides) was sent to Sparta to request that the Spartan army march to Athens' aid. Pheidippides arrived during the festival of ""Carneia"", a sacrosanct period of peace, and was informed that the Spartan army could not march to war until the full moon rose; Athens could not expect reinforcement for at least ten days. They decided to hold out"
"inspiration from Pheidippides, who, according to legend, ran the distance from Marathon to Athens to announce the Greek victory over Persia at the Battle of Marathon, and died immediately after giving his message. En route to Athens, Revithi encountered a male runner along the road. He gave her money and advised her to run the marathon to become famous, and, consequently, earn money or more easily find a job. After this discussion Revithi decided to run the race: she had enjoyed long-distance running as a child, and believed she could beat the male competitors. The 1896 Olympic Games were the"