Marathon Marathon The marathon is a long-distance race, completed by running, walking, or a run/walk strategy. There are also wheelchair divisions. The marathon has an official distance of 42.195 kilometres (26.219 miles; 26 miles 385 yards), usually run as a road race. The event was instituted in commemoration of the fabled run of the Greek soldier Pheidippides, a messenger from the Battle of Marathon to Athens, who reported the victory. The marathon was one of the original modern Olympic events in 1896, though the distance did not become standardized until 1921. More than 800 marathons are held throughout the world each
Mount Lemmon Marathon runners cited the challenge of running continuously uphill for as a reason for running the Mount Lemmon Marathon. The inaugural race was held on October 17, 2010. There were 394 finishers in the marathon, and 390 in the half-marathon. Race organizers expected 2,500 participants covering both events. Finishing in 3:13:42, the men's marathon winner, 25-year-old James Miles, was running in just his third marathon. It was his first win. The women's winner, 25-year-old Emily McGregor, was running in her first marathon and finished in 3:59:13. The race scheduled for April 27, 2014 was canceled unexpectedly in mid March by race