Competition among individuals is as old as mankind itself. Racing is possibly the oldest form of competition, whether it was to seize food from a neighboring tribe or for more gentle rivalries. These earliest games only required the use of our two legs! You may assume that running marathons is beyond your capabilities. Though that’s not entirely true, this isn’t a self-help speech. The term “marathon” has Greek origins. The Greeks emerged victorious against the Persians on the Marathon plains. It was here that the Greek runner Phidippides undertook a 26-mile run from Marathon to Athens to deliver the news of the Persian defeat, collapsing and dying shortly thereafter. The length and duration of marathons have been a subject of debate ever since, but they are generally set at around 26 miles (over 40 kilometers). We’re about to delve into some fascinating history and meet some rather ambitious runners. Here are 25 facts about marathons you probably didn’t know!
Featured Image: Josiah Mackenzie via Flickr
25
Marathons were instituted in commemoration of Greek runner Phidippides. He ran 26 miles from the battlefield on the plains of Marathon to deliver a message to Athens. He collapsed shortly after and died.
Source: wikipedia, Image: wikipedia
24
Sunita Williams, an astronaut, ran an entire marathon on the International Space Station simultaneously with her sister who was running in the Boston Marathon
Source: wikipedia, Image: wikipedia
23
Sister Madonna Buder has come to be known as the Iron Nun as she has run over 325 triathlons and became the oldest person to ever complete the Ironman at 82 years old
Source: wikipedia, Image: wikipedia
22
Paula Radcliffe won the 2005 London Marathon even though she had to stop on the side of the road due to "runner's diarrhea"
Source: wikipedia, Image: wikipedia
21
Fauja Singh, a 100 year old British Indian citizen, became the oldest person to ever complete a marathon in 2011
Source: wikipedia, Image: wikipedia
20
In some marathons there is a sweeper bus that comes along after a certain amount of time to pick up those who are still on the track
Source: wikipedia, Image: wikipedia
19
1 in 50,000 people will die of a heart attack within 24 hours of completing a marathon
Source: pponline.co.uk, Image: wikipedia
18
Cliff Young was a 61 year old who won Australia's 544 mile Sydney-Melbourne endurance race because he ran straight through the night while the other athletes slept
Source: elitefeet.com, Image: wikipedia
17
British explorer and adventurer Sir Ranulph Fiennes ran 7 marathons in 7 days on 7 different continents in spite of having had a heart attack just several months before
Source: wikipedia, Image: wikipedia
16
Record holder Stefaan Engels ran 365 marathons in 365 days. When he was younger he was told to avoid sports because he had asthma
Source: time.com, Image: wikipedia
15
The heaviest person to ever complete a marathon was American Charles Bungert. He weighed 427 pounds (almost 200 kg).
Source: guinnessworldrecords.com
14
Every year in Wales the Man vs Horse marathon is held where competitors do exactly as it sounds...they race against horses. In the past 10 years humans have won only twice
Source: wikipedia, Image: wikipedia
13
Edward Pena, one of the miners trapped in Chile in 2010 trained everyday while he was underground for nearly 10 weeks. He finished a marathon shortly after being freed
Source: wikipedia, Image: wikipedia
12
During the first Ironman, Navy Seal John Dunbar led for most of the race but when his crew ran out of water, they began giving him beer. Not surprisingly, John started bumping into cars and stumbling but he still managed to finish
Source: ironman.com, Image: wikipedia
11
Terry Fox, a 21 year old Canadian who had lost his leg to cancer ran all the way across Canada in order to raise cancer awareness. He died shortly afterwards when the cancer spread to his lungs
Source: wikipedia, Image: wikipedia
10
The modern length of a marathon (26.2 miles) was established at the 1908 London Games. Before that, marathons varied in their distance even though they were based on the run of Phidippides
Source: nytimes, Image: wikipedia
9
In 1977, Wesley Paul ran the NYC Marathon in just over 3 hours. He was 8 years old.
Source: nytimes, Image: wikipedia
8
In 2003, Will Ferrel completed the Boston Marathon and accomplished both goals he had set for himself - finish in less than 4 hours, and beat the man dressed up as Elvis
Source: usatoday.com, Image: wikipedia
7
Dick Hoyt ran 247 triathlons while pushing, pulling, or carrying his disabled son
Source: wikipedia, Image: wikipedia
6
Kathrine Switzer was the first woman to run in the Boston Marathon in 1967. Officials, who hadn't initially realized that she was a woman, tried to remove her from the race
Source: wikipedia, Image: wikipedia
5
As you may have guessed by now, humans and horses are among the best long distance runners on the planet
Source: slate.com, Image: wikipedia
4
During the 1996 Boston Marathon Uta Pippig became the first woman to cross the finish line. Her run drew attention, however, because she had begun menstruating during the race
Source: wikipdia, Image: wikipedia
3
The Barkley Marathon is considered by some to be the most extreme race in the world. It is 100 meters through the woods of Tennessee and was inspired by a prison escape
Source: wikipedia, Image: wikipedia
2
The men's marathon during the 1904 St Louis Olympics was very disorganized. First place rode most of the way in a car. Second place was carried across the finish line after having been injected with rat poison (a stimulant). And third place took a nap in the middle of the race
Source: wikipedia, Image: wikipedia
1
In 2007, three endurance athletes (American Charlie Engle, Canadian Ray Zahab, and Kevin Lin of Taiwan) ran across the Sahara Desert