Leonard Hurst 200-franc prize in a winning time of 2:31:30; 27 minutes faster than the mark of 2:58:50 set by Spiridon Louis of Greece three months earlier at the first Olympic marathon in Athens, Greece on 10 April 1896. Set on courses shorter than the now-standardized distance of 42,195 km (26 miles 385 yards), the performances of Louis and Hurst were never officially recognised as world records in the marathon. 1897 contemporary sources report Hurst finishing second behind F. Champion in the second running of the event; and again finishing second in 1899 behind A. Charbonnel. In 1900 the race was run
Philadelphia Marathon 5 miles) companion race to the Philadelphia Marathon. This race follows a shorter loop of the marathon, starting off on the expansive Benjamin Franklin Parkway before taking a turn on the scenic banks of the Schuylkill River and Martin Luther King Drive. Each runner receives a T-shirt, a finisher medal and a finisher certificate (available online after the race). The Philadelphia Marathon, who collaborated with Green Mountain Energy partnered with the Mayor’s Office of Sustainability and the Mayor’s Office of Civic Engagement to turn the race into an eco-friendly sporting event. In 2007, the Marathon’s eco-friendly events began with recycling