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
Hansons-Brooks Distance Project Hansons-Brooks Distance Project The Hansons-Brooks Distance project is an Olympic development program for post-collegiate distance runners. It has produced a number of notable professional runners. It is located in Rochester Hills, Michigan. The project's first Olympian was Brian Sell at the 2008 Beijing Olympiad. The most recent success is that of Desiree Davila who finished second in the 2012 Olympic Marathon Trials in Houston, TX, January 14, 2012. In August 2016, Davila placed 7th in the Olympic Marathon in Rio de Janeiro. On April 16, 2018, Desiree Linden was the first American woman in 33 years to win the Boston