Marathon poem, his composite story, became part of late 19th century popular culture and was accepted as a historic legend. Mount Pentelicus stands between Marathon and Athens, which means that if Philippides actually made his famous run after the battle, he had to run around the mountain, either to the north or to the south. The latter and more obvious route matches almost exactly the modern Marathon-Athens highway, which follows the lay of the land southwards from Marathon Bay and along the coast, then takes a gentle but protracted climb westwards towards the eastern approach to Athens, between the foothills of
2014 London Marathon with spectators standing 10 to 15 people deep, turned out to cheer on the competitors in warm weather. The race began in Greenwich in South East London, passing by many of London's most famous landmarks, before finishing on The Mall. The men's elite race featured a particularly strong field, including marathon world-record holder Wilson Kipsang, reigning Olympic and world marathon champion Stephen Kiprotich, 2013 London Marathon champion Tsegaye Kebede, and London course-record holder Emmanuel Mutai. Other notable competitors included Geoffrey Mutai, who unofficially ran the fastest marathon ever; Ayele Abshero, who has the fastest marathon debut; Xiamen and Dublin marathon