Athletics at the 1896 Summer Olympics – Men's marathon Athletics at the 1896 Summer Olympics – Men's marathon The men's marathon event was a special race invented as part of the Athletics at the 1896 Summer Olympics programme. Michel Bréal originated the idea of a race from the city of Marathon to Athens, taking inspiration from the legend of Pheidippides. The first such marathon race was a Greek national competition that served as a qualifier for the Olympic marathon, won by Charilaos Vasilakos. The length of the marathon in 1896 was approximately 40 km (25 mi). Twenty-five athletes traveled to Marathon for the race from there to Athens, though
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