Marathon messenger who ran from Athens to Sparta asking for help, and then ran back, a distance of over each way. In some Herodotus manuscripts, the name of the runner between Athens and Sparta is given as Philippides. Herodotus makes no mention of a messenger sent from Marathon to Athens, and relates that the main part of the Athenian army, having fought and won the grueling battle, and fearing a naval raid by the Persian fleet against an undefended Athens, marched quickly back from the battle to Athens, arriving the same day. In 1879, Robert Browning wrote the poem "Pheidippides". Browning's
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