Athletics at the 1896 Summer Olympics – Men's marathon 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 such marathon race was a Greek national competition that served as a qualifier for the Olympic marathon, won by Charilaos Vasilakos. The length of the marathon in 1896 was approximately 40 km (25 mi). Twenty-five athletes traveled to Marathon for the race from there to Athens, though
Mexico City Marathon Mexico City Marathon The Mexico City Marathon () is an annual road running event over the marathon distance which is held on the streets of Mexico City in late August or early September that in 2016 received IAAF Bronze Label Status. The race was established in 1983 at a time of growing interest in marathons in the country – the Independencia Marathon had been launched three years earlier and the Monterrey Marathon had been run over the full distance in 1982. The winner of the first women's race, María del Carmen Cárdenas, later became one of the first female Olympic