Marathon messenger who ran from Athens to Sparta asking for help, and then ran back, a distance of over each way. In some Herodotus manuscripts, the name of the runner between Athens and Sparta is given as Philippides. Herodotus makes no mention of a messenger sent from Marathon to Athens, and relates that the main part of the Athenian army, having fought and won the grueling battle, and fearing a naval raid by the Persian fleet against an undefended Athens, marched quickly back from the battle to Athens, arriving the same day. In 1879, Robert Browning wrote the poem "Pheidippides". Browning's
Atlanta Marathon December 15, 2015, the race was acquired by Atlanta Track Club, who had previously operated the Atlanta Marathon until its final running in 2013. They have operated the race since 2016. For 2019, the race has been renamed the Publix Atlanta Marathon and the course has been changed. In 2020, Atlanta will host the U.S. Olympic marathon trials for the 2020 Summer Olympics; the course will be a unique one from the Atlanta Marathon, but the events will be held in the same weekend. From 2007 to 2018, when the race was known as the Georgia Marathon, the marathon course