Summer Olympic Games 1906 Athens games were the first of an alternating series of games to be held in Athens, but the series failed to materialise. The games were more successful than the 1900 and 1904 games, with over 900 athletes competing, and contributed positively to the success of future games. The 1908 London Games saw numbers rise again, as well as the first running of the marathon over its now-standard distance of 42.195 km (26 miles 385 yards). The first Olympic Marathon in 1896 (a male-only race) was raced at a distance of 40 km (24 miles 85 yards). The new marathon
Athletics at the 1920 Summer Olympics – Men's marathon Kolehmainen is recognized as having set a new world best with a time of 2:32:35.8 hours. Although the course distance was officially reported to be 42,750 meters/26.56 miles, the Association of Road Racing Statisticians estimated the course to be only 40 km. Athletics at the 1920 Summer Olympics – Men's marathon The men's marathon event was part of the track and field athletics programme at the 1920 Summer Olympics. The distance of this race was 42.75 kilometres. The competition was held on Sunday, 22 August 1920. 48 runners from 17 nations competed. The weather during the race has been described