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
Atlanta Marathon December 15, 2015, the race was acquired by Atlanta Track Club, who had previously operated the Atlanta Marathon until its final running in 2013. They have operated the race since 2016. For 2019, the race has been renamed the Publix Atlanta Marathon and the course has been changed. In 2020, Atlanta will host the U.S. Olympic marathon trials for the 2020 Summer Olympics; the course will be a unique one from the Atlanta Marathon, but the events will be held in the same weekend. From 2007 to 2018, when the race was known as the Georgia Marathon, the marathon course