Why is a marathon 26 miles?

Answer 1

The 1896 Olympic marathon distance was 24.8 miles. This was the first modern Olympics, which took place in Athens Greece. According to a famous Greek legend, a Greek foot-soldier (thought by many to be Pheidippides) was sent from the plains of Marathon to Athens with the news that an army of Athenian hoplites had fought and driven off the vastly larger invading Persian army. As he approached the leaders of the city-state of Athens, he staggered and exclaimed, "Rejoice! We Conquer!" and then collapsed and died. The distance from the plains of Marathon to Athens is 24.8 miles.

The marathon distance was later changed as a result of the 1908 Olympic Games in London, England. That year, King Edward VII and Queen Alexandria requested that the marathon begin at Windsor Castle (20 miles west of central London), so that the Royal family could view the start. The course distance between the castle and the Olympic Stadium in London was 26 miles. Event organizers added an extra 385 yards around the stadium track, so the competitors would finish directly in front of the King and Queen's royal viewing box.The final distance for the 1908 Olympic marathon was 26 miles, 395 yards (26.21875 miles). The Olympic marathon distance varied until 1921 when it was set at exactly 42.195 kilometres. 26 miles, 385 yards is used as the Imperial approximation (the difference is about a centimetre).

Answer 2

Pheidippides (530 BC-490 BC), an Athenian herald, was sent to Sparta to request help when the Persians landed at Marathon, Greece. He ran 240 km (150 miles) in two days. He then ran the 40 km (25 miles) from the battlefield by the town of Marathon to Athens to announce the Greek victory over Persia in the Battle of Marathon (490 BC) with the word "Νενικήκαμεν" (Nenikékamen, 'We have won') - and died on the spot.

Answer 3

The distance from the start of the Marathon to the finish at the stadium was established at the 1908 Olympic Games in London. The original distance of 25 miles was changed to 26 miles so the marathon could start at Windsor Castle and then changed again at the request of Princess Mary so the start would be beneath the windows of the Royal Nursery. To ensure that the race would finish in the front of the King, the finish line was moved by British officials who, in response to shot putter and American flag carrier Ralph Rose's refusal to dip the American flag before the Royal Box during the opening ceremony, "felt compelled to restore the importance of the monarchy." As a result of these changes, the marathon covered a distance of 26 miles 385 yards (42.195 km), which became the standard length starting with the 1924 Summer Olympics.

Answer 4

An ancient Greek legend said that a messenger ran from Marathon to Athens after a battle victory without stopping. There is little evidence to substantiate this, but this distance is about 42km (26mi). When marathon running first became a sport, it started at about 40km (25mi), but was unstandardized. The IAAF designated the distance to be 42.195km (26.21875mi) to coincide with the distance run in the 1908 Olympic Games in London.

Answer 5

It's 26.2 and it is the distance of the greek messenger phillepides from the battle of marathon to athens.

Answer 6

Because the standard distance of a marathon is 26.2 miles or 42.195 kilometers and all marathons that have international competition use that distance.

Answer 7

The marathon is 26.2 miles.

Answer 8

Cause that's how long a marathon is.