With support from the University of Richmond

History News Network

History News Network puts current events into historical perspective. Subscribe to our newsletter for new perspectives on the ways history continues to resonate in the present. Explore our archive of thousands of original op-eds and curated stories from around the web. Join us to learn more about the past, now.

Athens marathon marks anniversary of legendary run

A record number of people have taken part in the Athens marathon to mark the 2,500th anniversary of the run which inspired the modern event.

In 490BC, the Athenian army defeated the Persians at the Battle of Marathon. According to legend, a messenger called Pheidippides ran the 42km (26 miles) to Athens to announce the victory.

More than 12,500 people ran the same route as Pheidippides on Sunday.

Despite the Greek financial crisis, the budget for the race has been increased.

1.5m euros (£1.3m) was raised for the event through sponsorship, compared with 900,000 euros (£780,000) last year.

Kenya's Raymond Bett won the men's race, with Lithuania's Rasa Drazdaukaite winning the women's event....
Read entire article at BBC News