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The Athenian force was lurking in the hills around Marathon waiting for reinforcement from Sparta when they saw the Persian cavalry being loaded onto ships. They seized the opportunity, rand down and defeated the inferior Persian infantry unprotected by its cavalry. Then they realised that the Persian cavalry was being shipped around to Athens to capture it in their absence. The Athenian soldiers ran back the 26 miles to Athens and formed up in front of the city just as the persian cavalry was being disembarked. Frustrated, the Persians went home.

The 26-mile marathon run of today commemorates that great run. The difference today is that our pampered athletes don't have to carry a suit of armour, shield, helmet and weapons, and run in sandals, which the Athenian 18,000 warriors had to - willingly to save their homes and families.

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Q: Why are modern marathons named after the Battle of Marathon?
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Why is the battle of marathon called the battle of the marathon?

Greece started the marathon by messengers jogging back and forth from marathon, Greece and other cities. But today's modern marathons have 3 part names : Lead Sponsor, Location, and Marathon .


What is the name of a Greek footrace named after a famous Greek battle?

The Battle of Marathon


Why do you call races marathons?

A "marathon" is not just any foot race, but specifically a 26.2 mile race. It has to be that distance because the name of the race comes from a place in ancient Greece, and when a battle took place there a guy named Phidippedes (spelling?) ran 26.2 miles to the nearest city to report the results of the battle. Supposedly, he dropped dead right after delivering the news. Anyhow, he ran 26.2 miles to or from the Battle of Marathon, so that's where the name came from.


What is the greatest marathon in the world named?

The top ten Marathons of the world are listed here: 1. London Marathon, April 2. Berlin Marathon, September 3. New York City Marathon, November 4. Chicago Marathon, October 5. Boston Marathon, April 6. Stockholm Marathon, June 7. Rotterdam Marathon, April 8. Paris Marathon, April 9. Honolulu Marathon, December 10. Amsterdam Marathon, October Hope it helped!


A modern-day long-distance race is named after which city-state?

Marathon


What is the location of a famous battle that helped turn back the Persians which is now named footrace was?

The battle where the Greeks turned back the Persians was the Battle of Marathon.


Which olympic athlete is named after a battle?

An athlete is a person--a sports competitor or someone who practices athletics. I think you mean an event. The Olympic event that's named after a battle is the marathon.


What is the story about marathon?

The marathon is named after the fabled run of the Greek soldier Pheidippides, a messenger from the Battle of Marathon to Athens. The legend states that he was sent from the town of Marathon to Athens to announce that the Persians had been defeated in the Battle of Marathon. It is said that he ran the entire distance without stopping and burst into the assembly, exclaiming We have won, before collapsing and dying.


Why is the year 1975 important for the Boston marathon?

A local named Bill Rodgers (nicknamed "Boston Billy") won the marathon and set a new American record. He broke the record again in Boston four years later. During his career, "Boston Billy" won 22 marathons.


Why are marathons 26 miles long and why is a marathon called a marathon?

The mara represents one event, in which this case is running. The thon represents a long distance in which one must cover to complete, it requires tons of endurance, persistence and training. As with numbers, million, then billion then trillion as with these sports, marathon, biathalon, triathalon The suffix changes as the number of events increases to "fit" with the prefix. (Mara, Bia, Tria) Uh, no. Close pronunciation but very wrong. Marathon is the name of a town in Greece which is about 26 miles from Athens. The race is named after a legendary runner in an ancient battle who traveled from Marathon to Athens to announce that the Greeks had successfully defended the town of Marathon against the (far larger) Persian army. A true marathon is a footrace of 26 miles and 385 yards in length. The term marathon is often used to describe any race or event that lasts a long time and requires endurance such as a dance marathon. The suffix "athlon" (note the "L") comes from the same root as "athlete" and describes an athletic event. A combination of multiple events will have a numeric prefix to describe the number of events, as described above. This is a different root word from "Marathon" which is named after a place.


What are modern races named for?

Most modern marathons have 3-part names: Lead Sponsor + Location + "Marathon." There are, of course, many exceptions. The Marine Corps Marathon and US Air Force Marathon omit location (Washington, DC and Dayton, OH, respectively); the sponsors of some of the largest races get marginalized in common usage - (Bank of America) Chicago Marathon, and the Boston Marathon (associated with John Hancock and the Boston Athletic Association); then there are the unusual ones -- Cincinatti's "Flying Pig Marathon" comes to mind. The word "Marathon" itself was resurrected by Michel Bréal and Pierre de Coubertin in their search for a "larger than life" capstone event for the Modern Olympics, beginning Athens, Greece in 1896. They envisioned a long-distance footrace, recreating the legendary run of Phidippides in 490 BCE from the plains of Marathon to Athens, where he announced the victory of Greek troops over a much larger force of invading Spartans. Phidippides supposedly collapsed and died after delivering his message, but that detail is not supported by documentation of the day.


What modern sporting event was Made after the journey made by the messenger Pheidippides?

According to legend, the Athenians sent a messenger named Pheidippides home with the news.The runner raced nearly 25 miles (40.2) from Marathon to Athens. He collapsed from exhaustion and, with his last breath, announced, "victory." Then he died. Modern marathon races are named for this famous run and are just over 26 miles long.