Battle of Marathon of events, with the competitors running from Marathon to Athens. So popular was this event that it quickly caught on, becoming a fixture at the Olympic games, with major cities staging their own annual events. The distance eventually became fixed at 26 miles 385 yards, or 42.195 km, though for the first years it was variable, being around —the approximate distance from Marathon to Athens. Battle of Marathon The Battle of Marathon (Greek: , "Machē tou Marathōnos") took place in 490 BC, during the first Persian invasion of Greece. It was fought between the citizens of Athens, aided by Plataea,
Philadelphia Marathon Philadelphia Marathon. The roots of the AACR Philadelphia Marathon (aka the Philadelphia Independence Marathon) can be traced back to 1954, the race’s unofficial inaugural year. The marathon then largely was a suburban event and went by many different names; the Greater Philadelphia Independence Marathon (1981–82) and the Fairmount Park Marathon (1988–89). The marathon today, was established under the name of the Philadelphia Marathon in 1994 under then Mayor Ed Rendell as an annual running event that took place entirely within the City of Philadelphia. This yearly event takes place on the 3rd Sunday in November or “the Sunday before Thanksgiving”.