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,
Quarter marathon Quarter marathon Quarter marathon (QM) refers to either an exact race of a quarter of a marathon, or running for 10–15 kilometers (approx. 6.5–9 miles) without a rest. The former is held in many places around the world. Sisaket, a north-eastern province in Thailand, holds quarter marathons on the third Sunday of December every year. Bushey, a town in East England also holds quarter marathons every July. The Congleton Quarter Marathon was set up by the Congleton Lions; it afforded participants the opportunity to run alongside the half marathon runners. The Congleton Lions decided to stop organising the race in