Marathon world record progression races were first held in 1896, but the distance was not standardized by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) until 1921. The actual distance for pre-1921 races frequently varied slightly from the present figure of 42.195 km (26 miles 385 yards). In qualifying races for the 1896 Summer Olympics, Greek runners Charilaos Vasilakos (3:18:00) and Ioannis Lavrentis (3:11:27) won the first two modern marathons. On April 10, 1896, Spiridon Louis of Greece won the first Olympic marathon in Athens, Greece in a time of 2:58:50; however, the distance for the event was reported to be only 40,000 meters. Three
Paris Marathon medal to all runners who finished the race in less than 4 hours. The distance of 40 km was chosen as it was the distance separating Marathon from Athens. The current distance of the race is 42.195 km, which the IAAF established in 1921 as the standard length of a marathon, following the 1908 Olympic race in London. This first race was won by Len Hurst from England who crossed the finishing line in 2 hours, 31 minutes and 30 seconds. His prize money was 200 francs. Although the International Association of Athletics Federations credits Violet Piercy as the first