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The word “marathon” has its origins in ancient Greece. It refers to the legendary run of a Greek soldier named Pheidippides, who, according to tradition, ran from the battlefield of Marathon to Athens, a distance of approximately 26 miles (42 kilometers), to deliver news of a military victory. This event is said to have taken place in 490 BCE during the Greco-Persian Wars, when the Greeks defeated the Persians in the Battle of Marathon. Upon reaching Athens, Pheidippides reportedly exclaimed “Nike!” (“Victory!”) and then collapsed and died.
The modern marathon race was inspired by this story and was introduced in the first modern Olympic Games in 1896. The race was set at roughly the same distance that Pheidippides is believed to have run.