The official marathon distance was set at 42.195 km (26 miles and 385 yards) for the 1908 London Games. In commemoration of the messenger’s feat, a marathon race of 40 kilometers (24.8 miles) was held on the route from Marathon to Athens at the first modern Olympic Games in 1896. Upon his arrival in Athens, Pheidippides called out, “Be joyful, we win!” and then collapsed and died of exhaustion. Legend has it that in 490 B.C., following the Greeks’ victory over the Persian invaders in the Battle of Marathon, Pheidippides ran 25 miles from Marathon to Athens with news of the victory. The marathon has its origins in the legend of the Greek soldier Pheidippides. The ancient Olympic Games, held every four years, eventually grew to contain other athletics events such as the discus, javelin and the broad jump. Coroebus won the stadion in 776 B.C., and thus is history’s first Olympic champion. The only event at those Games – the “stadion” – was a sprinting race of approximately 200 meters, or the length of the ancient Olympic stadium. in the valley of Olympia on the southwestern coast of the Greek peninsula. The roots of track and field, or athletics, may be traced back to the first ancient Olympic Games, held in 776 B.C.
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