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marathon

Also known as marathon race

The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of kilometres ( 26 mi 385 yd), usually run as a road race, but the distance can be covered on trail routes. The marathon can be completed by running or with a run/walk strategy. There are also wheelchair divisions. More than 800 marathons are held worldwide each year, with the vast majority of competitors being recreational athletes, as larger marathons can have tens of thousands of participants.

AI overview

A marathon is a long-distance foot race covering 42.195 kilometers (26 miles and 385 yards), typically held on roads though sometimes on trail routes, and can be completed by running, walking, or using a wheelchair. With over 800 marathons held annually around the world and tens of thousands of participants in the largest events, marathons have become a major recreational athletic activity for millions of people.

AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.

Key facts

Athletics event.event: Marathon
Athletics event.image: BSK CSOB MARATON046 (33791445325).jpg
Athletics event.image_size: 250px
Athletics event.caption: Competitors during the 2017 Bratislava Marathon

via Wikipedia infobox

Wikidata facts

Image: Frankfurt-Marathon-2015-01.jpg

Show 2 more facts

event distance: 42.195
hashtag: marathon

Sources (6)

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~54 min read

Article

42 sections

Contents

History
Origin
Modern Olympic marathon
Marathon mania in the US
Inclusion of women
Distance
1908 Olympics
IAAF and world records
Marathon races
Wheelchair division
Statistics
World records and world's best
All-time top 25
Men
Women
World leading times
Oldest marathoner
Youngest marathoner
Participation
Multiple marathons
Olympic medalists
Men
Women
World Championship medalists
Men
Women
General participation
Training
Glycogen and "the wall"
Temperature
After a marathon
Health risks
Cardiac health
Hydration
Body temperature
Charity involvement
Culture
See also
Notes
References
Bibliography
External links

A creation of the French philologist Michel Bréal inspired by a story from Ancient Greece, the marathon was one of the original modern Olympic events in 1896 in Athens. The distance did not become standardized until 1921. The distance is also included in the World Athletics Championships, which began in 1983. It is the only running road race included in both championship competitions (walking races on roads are also contested in both).