The concept of competition between individuals traces back to the origins of human existence. Likely the earliest form of competition was racing, whether it be an attempt to garner food from a nearby tribe or less aggressive types of rivalries. These initial competitions needed nothing more than the use of our own two feet! You might think that running marathons is beyond your reach. While that might not entirely be the case, this isn’t a motivational speech. The word “marathon” itself has roots in Greek history. The Greeks triumphed over the Persians on the plains of Marathon. It was in this place where the Greek runner, Phidippides, made a grueling 26-mile run from Marathon to Athens to relay the news of the Persian’s defeat, tragically succumbing to exhaustion shortly afterwards. The measurement and time of marathons have been a topic for discussion since then, but are commonly standardized at about 26 miles (around 40 kilometers). We are about to embark on an exploration of intriguing history and meet some remarkably determined runners. Here are 25 interesting marathon facts you likely weren’t aware of!
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
Source: espn.go.com, Image: wikipedia 
