Runner (soldier) Runner (soldier) A runner was a military courier, a foot soldier responsible for carrying messages during war. Runners were very important to military communications, before telecommunications became commonplace. The Ancient Greek semi-historical character of Pheidippides is said to have been the runner bringing the news of the Greek victory over the Persians from Marathon to Athens in 490 BC. Even though field telephones were widely used for the first time during World War I (1914–18), they relied on copper wire lines, which were often damaged or unreliable. Radio technology existed, but was generally regarded as too insecure for frontline use.
Twenty-Five Miles inclusion on the Motown compilation album, "The Original Soul of Michael Jackson", in 1987, with Michael Jackson being given sole performer credit for the track. It was not the original recording, however, as it included drum machine overdubs; the original featured a hard-driving drum track by Uriel Jones, one of the Funk Brothers. Jackson's version of "Twenty-Five Miles" was released as a single in the US to promote "The Original Soul of Michael Jackson". The single was backed by the song "Up on the Housetop". The original recording of the song was included on the 2009 set, "". A shortened