The word "marathon" comes from which historical event?
Share
Sign Up to our social questions and Answers Engine to ask questions, answer people’s questions, and connect with other people.
Login to our social questions & Answers Engine to ask questions answer people’s questions & connect with other people.
Lost your password? Please enter your email address. You will receive a link and will create a new password via email.
Please briefly explain why you feel this question should be reported.
Please briefly explain why you feel this answer should be reported.
Please briefly explain why you feel this user should be reported.
The word “marathon” comes from the Battle of Marathon that took place in 490 BCE during the Persian Wars. According to legend, a Greek soldier named Pheidippides ran from the battlefield near the town of Marathon to Athens, a distance of about 26 miles, to deliver the news of the Greek victory over the Persians. The run is said to have taken him several hours, and upon arriving in Athens, he famously exclaimed “Νενικήκαμεν” (“We have won!”) before collapsing and dying from exhaustion.
In honor of this legendary run, the modern marathon race was established during the 1896 Summer Olympics, with the distance set to approximate Pheidippides’ historic journey.