Marathon, Greece Marathon, Greece Marathon (Demotic Greek: Μαραθώνας, "Marathónas"; Attic/Katharevousa: , "Marathṓn") is a town in Greece and the site of the battle of Marathon in 490 BCE, in which the heavily outnumbered Athenian army defeated the Persians. Legend has it that Pheidippides, a Greek herald at the battle, was sent running from Marathon to Athens to announce the victory, which is how the marathon running race was conceived in modern times. The name "Marathon" () comes from the herb fennel, called "marathon" () or "marathos" () in Ancient Greek, so "Marathon" literally means "a place full of fennels". It is believed
Sydney Marathon Sydney Marathon The Sydney Marathon is a marathon held annually in Sydney, Australia each September. The event was first held in 2001 as a legacy of the 2000 Summer Olympics, which were held in Sydney. In addition to the marathon, a half marathon, "Bridge Run", and a "Family Fun Run" are also held under the banner of the Sydney Running Festival. The marathon course record is held by Gebo Burka of Kenya, who completed the race in 2 hours, 11 minutes and 18 seconds in 2014. The fastest woman is the former Ethiopian Makda Harun, now an Australian resident, who