Running in Ancient Greece Athens to Sparta and then back to Marathon in 490 BCE. He was sent to gain the help of the Spartans against the attack of the Persian army in Marathon. In 1896, at the first modern Olympics, the very first modern-day marathon was run. To honor the history of Greek running, Greece chose a course that would mimic the route run by Pheidippides. The race course covered . The route started at a bridge in the town of Marathon and ended in the Olympic stadium reference perseus project. Another event in the ancient Olympic Games was the pentathlon. The pentathlon
Athletics at the 1900 Summer Olympics – Men's marathon Athletics at the 1900 Summer Olympics – Men's marathon The men's marathon was a track & field athletics event at the 1900 Summer Olympics in Paris. It was held on July 19, 1900. 13 athletes from five nations competed in the marathon, which used a distance of 40.26 kilometres. The winner, Michel Théato, was a native of Luxembourg who is believed to have competed for France. These were the standing world and Olympic records (in hours) prior to the 1900 Summer Olympics. "(*)" Distance was 40 kilometres The marathon race, which began at 2:30 p.m. on a day with temperatures