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
Richmond Marathon was the fastest winning time in the marathon since 2002. Richmond Marathon The Anthem Richmond Marathon is an annual marathon foot-race held in Richmond, Virginia, USA. It was established in 1978 and has been run every year since. It was known as the "Richmond Newspapers Marathon" until 1997 and then as SunTrust Richmond Marathon until 2011. Sports Backers produces the event and serves as the non-profit beneficiary of the event. The event supports efforts to make running accessible to Richmond area youth through the Kids Run RVA program. The Anthem Richmond Marathon will be celebrating its 40th anniversary in 2017.