Marathon year, with the vast majority of competitors being recreational athletes as larger marathons can have tens of thousands of participants. The name "Marathon" comes from the legend of Philippides or Pheidippides, the Greek messenger. The legend states that he was sent from the battlefield of Marathon to Athens to announce that the Persians had been defeated in the Battle of Marathon (in which he had just fought), which took place in August or September, 490 BC. It is said that he ran the entire distance without stopping and burst into the assembly, exclaiming ("nenikēkamen", "we have won!"), before collapsing and
Tokyo International Women's Marathon Tokyo International Women's Marathon The Tokyo International Women's Marathon was a marathon for female elite runners held in Tokyo from 1979 until 2008 in November. It was first held in November 1979, and this race was the first women's marathon officially sanctioned by the International Amateur Athletic Federation (IAAF). After Adriaan Paulen, the IAAF president, watched this event, he announced his support for the women's Marathon to be included in the Olympic Games. After the 30th edition the organisers (Japan Association of Athletics Federations (JAAF), Asahi Shimbun and TV Asahi) discontinued the race, because the new Tokyo Marathon held since