Why is the distance in the marathon 42 kilometers 195 meters?

Despite the fact that the roots of this long-running sport competition go back to ancient times, today's official length of the marathon run appeared only in the 20th century.

History of the marathon

The first marathon was organized during the first Olympic Games of our time, which took place in the Greek capital in 1896. The ancient Olympic Games have never included a race for such a distance in the list of competitions. The idea of a modern marathon is inspired by one of the Greek legends about a messenger who ran from the battlefield at Marathon to the very Athens, never stopping. The distance of his race was about 40 km. The battle of Marathon took place between the Greeks and the Persian army in 490 BC. E., according to legend, the ambassador managed only to report the victory of the Greeks and fell dead. To honor the memory of a stubborn envoy, the distance of the first marathon was determined at 40 km.

Modern distance

The following Olympic Games adhered to the same tradition, right up to the London Olympics in 1908. According to persistent rumors, the distance was increased to please the royal family. Queen Alexandra asked that the race begin at Windsor Palace - so, the smallest members of the royal family could see it from the windows of the children's room. Also, at the request of Alexandra, the race ended at the Royal Lodge of the Olympic Stadium. Thus, the distance of the 1908 marathon was 42 kilometers 195 meters. Accidental increase for a long time remained in the history of athletics. In 1921, it was this length that was recognized as standard.

Today marathons are held everywhere - from the north pole, to the Chinese wall. Only in the US today more than 1100 annual marathons are registered. If in 1976, according to the statistical survey, about 25 thousand people took part in the marathons, then in 2013 the number of participants increased more than twice.