Marathon world record progression races were first held in 1896, but the distance was not standardized by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) until 1921. The actual distance for pre-1921 races frequently varied slightly from the present figure of 42.195 km (26 miles 385 yards). In qualifying races for the 1896 Summer Olympics, Greek runners Charilaos Vasilakos (3:18:00) and Ioannis Lavrentis (3:11:27) won the first two modern marathons. On April 10, 1896, Spiridon Louis of Greece won the first Olympic marathon in Athens, Greece in a time of 2:58:50; however, the distance for the event was reported to be only 40,000 meters. Three
Valencia Half Marathon Valencia Half Marathon The Valencia Half Marathon () is an annual road running event over the half marathon distance (21.1 km or 13.1 miles) that takes place in the city of Valencia, Spain. It is organised by the S.D. Correcaminos Valencia sports club, which also organises the annual Valencia Marathon. The event was first held in 1991 as a race over 20 kilometres known as the "20 kilómetros Ciudad de Valencia" and this continued each May up to 2005. From 2006 onwards, the competition was extended slightly to become a half marathon. The change coincided with a growth in the