by Pileated

Created on: April 26, 2008   Last Updated: August 07, 2008

Probably no other athletic Olympic event in modern history has provided as much human drama, controversy, political intrigue, and entertainment as the marathon. The event has been made famous because of the exploits of those who won but also because of the efforts of those who tried but lost. The event is so grueling that even the best athletes experience muscle and tissue breakdown. Just finishing earns respect. Marathoners have emerged out of obscurity to become world-wide heroes and legends and event has come to epitomize the extent of human endurance and determination.

The origin of the modern marathon is based upon the run of the Athenian soldier, Pheidippides, who was sent from the town of Marathon, Greece to Athens, to announce that the Athenian army had defeated the invading Persians. This was no small victory. The Athenians faced overwhelming Persian forces. Their courage and sacrifice halted of the westward progress of the Persian Empire and possibly saved western civilization. Knowing that the Athenians anxiously awaited the outcome of the battle, Pheidippides ran from the plains of Marathon over wooded terrain to Athens, 21 miles away, announced "victory", and then collapsed and died; thus immortalizing his name and the run from Marathon.

On April 10, 1896, as part of the inauguration of the first modern Olympics in Greece, seventeen runners lined up on the bridge in the town of Marathon and ran 24.8 miles to the Panathenaic Stadium in Athens. Only nine finished the race. A Greek water carrier named Spiridon Louis won the race in 2 hours and 58 minutes. The whole country celebrated his victory and the modern marathon was established.

Fred Lorz was the first to cross the finish line in the 1904 Olympic marathon in St. Louis. Amid spectator applause, some claimed that he did not run the entire race. Fred quickly admitted that he rode in his manager's car after only running nine miles and only began running again after his managers' car broke down about five miles before the finish line. The second man across the finish line, and ultimately the winner, was Thomas J. Hicks. Towards the end of the race, Hicks started to fade. His manager, fearing he could not finish the race, gave him a mixture of diluted strychnine, brandy and egg yokes to revive him. He collapsed after crossing the finish line, received the gold medal, and the use of strychnine was banned from then on.

The 1908 Olympic marathon in London was initially set at 25 miles. However, bowing

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