How Many Miles In Marathon?

A running event of distance measuring 26.21875 miles (42.195 km) is known as Marathon.

The name "Marathon" was derived from famous tale of the legendary Greek solider Pheidippides, who was sent to Athens from the well-known town of Marathon to proclaim the miraculous defeat of Persians in the Battle of Marathon. It is also known that this soldier ran the whole distance without stopping, to proclaim the message. Soon after delivering the message the soldier collapsed and died due to exhaustion.

In the early times, the length of the Marathon was not decided. In the Olympics, the length of the marathon varied depending upon routes dedicated for each venue. In 1896 Olympics, Marathon covered a distance of 40.8km. In 1908, Marathon which was held at London commenced at Windsor Castle covering a distance of 42.195km. In 1912 Olympics, the distance of the Marathon changed to 40.2km and in 1920 Olympics, it again changed to 42.75km. Six out of first seven Olympic games, covered distances ranging between 40 and 42.75km.

In the year 1921, IAAF (International Amateur Athletic Federation) declared a fixed distance for the marathon. 42.195km was then adopted as the permanent distance.

A marathon is 26.2 miles long.

6 miles