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
Cardiff Marathon Cardiff Marathon The Cardiff Marathon was an annual marathon race held in Cardiff from 1981 to 2006. The first race was held on 20 September 1981, with over 4000 competitors, and among the competitors was Justin Chaston, who was later an Olympic athlete. The event was called the Western Mail Marathon from 1981 to 1986, and started and finished at the Civic Centre. The first winner was Bernie Plain. (In 1981 there was no minimum age restriction of 18, so a few of the runners were younger - including Mark Murray (12) Michael Nesbitt (12), Justin Chaston, Allyn Carter(12) and