Marathons at the Olympics Olympics marked the introduction of the now standard distance of 26 miles, 385 yards (42.195 km). However, it was not until the 1924 Paris Olympics that this distance became the standard at the Olympics. The Olympic marathon proved immediately popular in the Western world and quickly spawned numerous long-running annual races, including the Boston Marathon in 1897, the Tour de Paris Marathon in 1902, the Yonkers Marathon in 1907, and the London Polytechnic Marathon in 1909. Such marathons played a key role in the expansion of the road running movement internationally over the course of the 20th century. It has
North Pole Marathon - a wheelchair competitor - completed a marathon distance on the aircraft runway. North Pole Marathon The North Pole Marathon is run over the classic 42.195 km (26.2 miles) marathon distance at the North Pole. The race is run on small, 4.22 km (2.62-mile) loop about 10 times over hard snow or the frozen ice of the Arctic Ocean. There are individual competitions with male and female divisions, and a team competition for teams of three or more. There is also an option to run a half marathon. The North Pole Marathon has been recognized by Guinness World Records as