Marathon
For other uses, see Marathon (disambiguation). Athletics Marathon Competitors during the 2007 Berlin Marathon. Men's records World Eliud Kipchoge 2:01:39 (2018) Olympic Samuel Wanjiru 2:06:32 (2008) Women's records World Paula Radcliffe 2:15:25 (2003) Olympic Tiki Gelana 2:23:07 (2012) Competitors during the 2014 Orlen Warsaw Marathon Participant of the 2016 Boston Marathon, April 2016 The marathon is a long-distance race, completed by running, walking, or a run/walk strategy. There are also wheelchair divisions. The marathon has an official distance of 42.195 kilometres (26.219 miles; 26 miles 385 yards), [1] usually run as a road race. The event was instituted in commemoration of the fabled run of the Greek soldier Pheidippides, a messenger from the Battle of Marathon to Athens, who reported the victory. The marathon was one of the original modern Olympic events in 1896, though the distance did not become standardized until