In fact, it is more likely that he ran a much greater distance than 26 miles. Born. We also share information about the use of the site with our social media, advertising . He believes the armor would have permitted them to run no more than the final 150 meters.However, Billows does allow that about 6000 Athenian soliders ran and hiked back to the capital in the afternoon of the same day to make sure Persian ships did not attack from the west. The actual distance between Marathon and Athens is closer to 25 miles, but the extra heartbreak mile became part of the official distance 42.195km at the 1908 Olympic Games in London. I wanted to go farther, to try 50-mile races even. After he gave his message, he promptly dropped dead from the exertion. Pheidippides was sent to run from Marathon to Athens in under 36 hours to announce that there had been a victory against the Persians. Apparently his plea was convincing, for it worked. However, the work circulated in manuscript form and became influential. (The Greeks had better spears and armors, so they excelled at close-in combat; the Persians had better archers and more mounted horsemen, if given the time to deploy them.) Pheidippides had to let his people know about the delay. circa 490 BC. However, the encounter with Pan could be explained as a hallucination brought on by a mixture of heat and physical exhaustion. As the well-worn legend goes, after the badly outnumbered Greeks somehow managed to drive back the Persians who had invaded the coastal plain of Marathon, an Athenian messenger named Pheidippides was dispatched from the battlefield to Athens to deliver the news of Greek victory. Pheidippides is said to have run from Marathon to Athens to deliver news of the victory of the battle of Marathon. On this 1,200-metre-high mountain peak just above ancient Tegea (now the village of Alea, close to Tripoli), Pheidippides has his legendary encounter with the god Pan, who laments that the Athenians fail to acknowledge him as much as they should. On his return to Athens, Pheidippides delivered the terrible news that no imminent support could be expected from the Spartans. Stilpo, a Megarian, also belongs to the Socratic tradition. So they waited for the full moon, and meanwhile Hippias, the son of Pisistratus, guided the Persians to Marathon. Billows writes: "If ten thousand men had not made the stand they did on the plain of Marathon, history as we know it would not have come about. Socratic philosophy is much to be preferred to Epicureanism. Some Athenian generals wanted to wait for the Spartans to show up; the Persians didn't relish a fight up into the hills, and were considering if they should send half their fleet by water to attack Athens from the west. The current record, held by Yiannis Kouros, stands at 20 hours, 25 minutes. In 1834, French sculptor Cortot completed a sculpture in Paris' Tuileries Palace of Pheidippides dying as he announced victory. Profession: Hero of Athens. Bob Hearn, an American four times Spartathlete, and a history . Krenz says, in essence: Never underestimate the fitness of a well-trained Athenian. 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The first mention of a Marathon-to-Athens dash comes from Plutarch, who was writing more than half a millennium after the battle and had the annoying habit of being sort of full of shit. Like wine through clay,joy in his blood bursting his heart the bliss! Phidippides cardiomyopathy refers to the cardiomyopathic changes that occurs after long periods of endurance training.It was named after Phidippides, the famous Greek runner who died after running from Marathon to Athens in 490 BC.. The Clouds by Aristophanes. Pheidippides ( Greek: , sometimes given as Phidippides, by Herodotus and Plutarch, [ 1] or as Philippides ), hero of Ancient Greece, is the central figure in a story which was the inspiration for a modern sporting event, the marathon. Just don't tell any marathon organizers, who may take on an additional 273 miles to the distance . The distance between Marathon and Athens is about 26 miles, and todays marathon races have beencreated to commemorate that. Then it happened again, and I realized I was sleep running. The stories have become blurred ever since, leading to the myth that remains popular to this day. "Krenz doubts that the Athenians marched back to Athens the same day, as recounted by Billows. Pheidippides. Pheidippides is following him and beating him over the head. However, Magill and Moose (2003) suggest that the story is likely a "romantic invention. Krenz thinks there was no rush to get to Athens on the afternoon of the morning Battle, because the Athenians would have known the slow sailing speed of the Persian ships. The whole idea of recreating an ancient voyage was fantastic to me. Term. Victory! According to the account he gave the Athenians on his return, Pheidippides met the god Pan on Mount Parthenium, above Tegea. After he reached Athens, the city deployed 10,000 adult male Athenian citizens to Marathon to fend off 60,000 Persians. So why do we run 26.2? Comparatively little is recorded of the mysterious hemerodromoi other than that they covered incredible distances on foot, over rocky and mountainous terrain, forgoing sleep if need be in carrying out their duties as messengers. Every marathon that takes place today recalls the feats of a heroic messenger in ancient Greece, who ran not just 26 miles but 300 and accomplished this remarkable feat of endurance running in only three days. A costume which, due to unintended circumstances, I'm now thinking about wearing from Marathon to Athens next Sunday, Oct. 31, in the Athens Marathon that celebrates the 2500th birthday of the famous Battle of Marathon.Running in LiteratureRunning TimeMarathon & Beyond,hemerodromoi, didThe Fifteen Decisive Battles of the World The Marathon Footrace; and many other sourcesIf Robert Browning killed off Pheidippides with his poem of 1878, he also launched the marathon as a exalted athletic event. In reality, Pheidippides walked the road from Athens to Sparta to ask for reinforcements, which would be about 213 kilometers. I was gaining toward Tegea, which would mean about 30 more miles to go. Pheidippides was on duty the day of the fabled Battle of Marathon, which pitted the Athenian army against the Persian army. This tale, immortalised for the modern audience in Robert Brownings 1879 poem Pheidippides, inspired a member of the Olympic committee, Michel Bral, to propose that the distance of the run between the battle site and the Greek capital should be used as the benchmark length for the inaugural marathon when it was launched at the first modern Olympics in 1896. (Themadchopper / Public Domain ) You probably know something about the story of Pheidippides, even if youve never heard his name in your life. Hear a conversation with David Willey and Dean Karnazes on The RW Show.Available on iTunes, Stitcher, and other podcast platforms. The play contains adaptations of several classic Greek works: the slapstick comedy, Clouds, written by Aristophanes and first performed in 423 BCE; the dramatic . Heres an overview of who Pheidippides was and the real details of the historic events surrounding his noble actions and also of his death. And so I did. The traditional story relates that Pheidippides (530490BC), an Athenian herald, or hemerodrome[1] (translated as "day-runner,"[4] "courier,"[5][6] "professional-running courier"[1] or "day-long runner"[7]), was sent to Sparta to request help when the Persians landed at Marathon, Greece. They were designed to move swiftly and to arrive with their messages in a timely manner. Steve Reeves, famed for his Hercules portrayals, plays Phillipides. Not too shabby.If you're interested in "feeling" the ferocity of battle, in words at least, Billows supplies the most colorful (also gross; be warned) description: "The muscles ached from running, from the weight of the equipment, from the jarring of thrusting spear into enemy bodies, or receiving enemy thrusts on one's shield. Not only was Pheidippidess news not urgent enough for kill oneself for, the only reasonably-contemporary source we have on the Battle of Marathon is Herodotus, and he makes no mention of a herald racing back to Athens. The race became the highlight of the Games and was won by Spyridon Louis, a. The early BAA organizers even managed to lay out a course similar to the Athens course, peaking at about 20 miles and then dropping into the city center.McDermott finished the first Boston Marathon in 2:55:10, more or less a world record. The two forces had been eyeballing each other for several days over the swampy plain. He decided that the Athenians would wake early the next morning and attack the current Persian position while their horsemen were absent and before they had time to carry out their plan. I would finally run alongside my ancient brother, Pheidippides, albeit two and a half millennia in his wake. Pheidippides takes the ancient Iera Odos (sacred road) up to Eleusis, from where he follows a military road, Skyronia Odos, across the flanks of the Gerania mountains. Pheidippides enters the history book because he could run fast and far, and because in 490 BC, with angry Persian immortals just outside their walls, the Athenians decided that they needed help. I kept running. The public's hatred of Socrates. 28. The Persians were completely unprepared for this manuever. After he gave his message, he promptly dropped dead from the exertion. Using briliant tactics, the Athenians achieve a decisive victory. A critical assessment of sophistry in Ancient Athens, the play satirizes and lampoons the city's greatest philosopher, Socrates, and may have contributed to his trial and . The marathon, however, isnt the only modern race that owes its existence to Pheidippides. Plutarch attributes the run to a herald called either Thersippus or Eukles. Pheidippides was forced to run back along the route he had just taken, alone and carrying a heavy load of bad news. ARISTOPHANES' CLOUDS. What are you waiting for? At about six times the length of a real marathon and including an ascent of Mount Parthenion, the Spartathlon is a ferociously difficult race, but it is doable in the time said to have been achieved by Pheidippides. Otherwise, they might be running more than 10 times the distance they do now. What the heck? The story of Pheidippides was popularized in the 19th century. Why highlight the shorter run when a much greater feat occurred? He is most well known for being the character in ancient Greece who is said to have run non-stop from a battlefield in Marathon to the citadel in Athens in 490 BC, bringing news of the Athenian army's victory over the Persians in battle, before dramatically dropping dead. Nike! What should we believe about the legend of Pheidippidesand the origins of the marathonIn a quick reading of several Pheidippides and Marathon sources, including two new books, I did learn a few things. Herodotus[11]. For comparison, many 50-mile ultramarathons have cutoff times of 13 or 14 hours to complete the race in its entirety. It commemorates the legendary feat of a Greek soldier who, in 490 bc, is supposed to have run from Marathon to Athens, a distance of about 40 km (25 miles), to bring news of the Athenian victory over the Persians and then expired. Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Modern-day endurance athletes often report such visions, known as 'sleepmonsters', which can be fantastically realistic. Sam Stoller was a Jewish-American sprinter, who is most famous for being excluded from the American 4X100 relay team at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, apparently to appease Hitler. The Royal Family asked for the starting line to be extended to Windsor Castle, so the young princes could see the 56 brave young marathoners begin the race at 2:30 p.m. the meed is thy due! Get 6 issues for 19.99 and receive a 10 gift card* PLUS free access to HistoryExtra.com, Save 70% on the shop price when you subscribe today - Get 13 issues for just $49.99 + FREE access to HistoryExtra.com. Sparta, though, stood 150 miles from Athens and time was . Bringing the news of the victory in Marathon, he found the archons seated, in suspense regarding the issue of the battle. But the Spartans would not fight until there was a full moon. Pan had great powers that could unravel the enemy, and he would bestow the Athenians with these abilities, but only if they were to revere him as they should. 4, viii. However, before the invasion, it was Pheidippides responsibility to run the 240 kilometer (150 mile) distance from Athens to Sparta to ask Sparta for their help. First I salute this soil of the blessed, river and rock! Known as The Running God and The Golden Greek, Yiannis Kouros was the greatest ultramarathon runner from Greece. Pheidippides was a Greek hero who ran 150 miles from Marathon to Sparta to get help against the Persians. Warm, muggy conditions took a heavy toll on the runners, but it appeared that the Italian, Dorando Pietri, would break the tape in a respectable 2:54. Thus was the battle ultimately waged and won at Marathon. Pheidippides. In the 1980s, a race known as the Spartathon was created by a group of British air . When Amby Burfoot said he would run the Athens Classic Marathon in commemoration of the 2,500th anniversary of the Battle of Marathon, Cristina Negrn, professional editor and amateur seamstress, decided with the same enthusiasm Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland . And then he promptly collapsed from exhaustion and died. Just as I was fully realizing the depth of my connection to this place, a large diesel truck came barreling down the highway straight for me, thrusting me back into the present-day reality of the modern Spartathlon. In 1908, the marathon, which stretched between Windsor Castle and White City Stadium in London, lasted 26.2 milesall for the benefit of England's royal family. Comments Off on The Real Story of Pheidippides. [Photos courtesy Jill Forsythe, lvrunningscene.com]Here's a brief history, organized mostly by author contribution.Roger Robinson, 2003, Running In LiteratureWhether writing in his book or in s or Robinson provides the most concise, authoritative, believable (and often funny) stories about Phedippides and the Battle of Marathon. Athens. He married a well-to-do girl with aristocratic pretensions and has a son, Pheidippides, who has inherited the young woman's rarified tastes and has begun running Strepsiades into the ground with debts to finance his stables of . Plutarch, writing in the 1st century AD, says it did. After learning that the Persian cavalry was temporarily absent, Miltiades had managed to convince Callimachus to order a general attack against the enemy, before using reinforced flanks to lure the Persians elite warriors into the centre, where they were overwhelmed. After he gave his message, he promptly dropped dead from the exertion. he said, and died upon his message, breathing his last in the word "joy" Lucian[3]. . He is known for pushing his limits of endurance racing by . When the Persian army landed at Marathon in 490 BC, the Athenians chose Phidippides, their best . He was a messenger who reported the victory by running from the Battle of Marathon to Athens. He ran about 240km (150mi) in two days, and then ran back. The Persian Empire, seeking to punish Athens for some outrageously cheeky behavior in Asia Minor, despatched an amphibious expeditionary force to Greece, first taking Eretria on the island of Euboea and then making their way southward toward Athenian territory. "First American Marathon, Sept. 19, 1896For the first time, a track meet sponsored by the Knickerbocker Athletic Club included a marathon. Much bigger. It wasn't supposed to be that way . There are two stories associated with Pheidippides. (Mention of a "fennel-field" is a reference to the Greek word for fennel, marathon, the origin of the name of the battlefield.). Message communicated, he promptly dropped dead from exhaustion. In just five days, Pheidippides had run an aggregate 332 miles without shoes. Instead, he describes Pheidippides making a much longer journey all the way to Sparta and back, a distance of more than 300 miles, The Spartans were five days into a nine-day religious festival, the Carneia, during which they were forbidden to fight. The significance of this story is to be understood in the light of the legend that the god Pan returned the favor by fighting with the Athenian troops and against the Persians at Marathon. So he did the unthinkable. Historians have ever since debated the significance of the running charge. Born into poverty, he was forced into manual labor at age five and decided to run professionally at age 16 only. After the Greeks won the war, he ran 25 miles from Marathon to Athens to announce the victory. Rejoice, we conquer!). 54-6; Plut.Herod. Most marathons were roughly 24 miles. He finds no evidence whatsoever that a Pheidippides or Philippides (or Filippides) ran back to Athens and croaked immediately after delivering the good news to the Athenian citizens.All other reputable historians appear to agree with Robinson. Run, Pheidippides, one race more! Pheidippides (or choose your favorite name for him) did exist, and he was a valiant, superfit distance runner--as they were known in the Greek military--who complete some prodigious . They vastly outnumbered the Athenians, who are believed to have had fewer than 10,000 men in their ranks. Many runners are familiar with the story surrounding the origins of the modern marathon. Before they got there, a messengerbut not Pheidippides, according to scholarshad run 25 miles to deliver the good news. He made the 155 mile-journey between cities in less than two days, but the Spartans were too busy washing their hair (or whatever Spartans did, who cares) to move for several more days, and by the time they bothered, the battle had already been won. )The New York Times reported that the arrival of the first marathoners created an uproar: "Women who knew only that the first race of its kind ever held in this country was nearing a finish waved their handker-chiefs and fairly screamed with excitement. And 5,000 to 6,000 Athenian soldiers did complete a post-battle jog from Marathon to Athens, 22 to 25 miles, in about six to seven hours. For me the quest was deeply personal. "First Boston Marathon, April 19, 1897McDermott wins again! The idea that the brain is extremely malleable and is continuously changing as a result of injury, experiences, or substances is known as: Click the card to flip . Persia was a huge empire, ruled by King Darius; Athens a small democracy. Even his name is disputed. It seems more feasible that the latter part of the Pheidippides story was embellished over time to give an already heroic tale a touch more pathos a narrative technique much loved by the Greeks. Herodotus makes no mention of the original run. From there, the Pheidippides legend got somewhat out of hand, ultimately infiltrating European culture to the extent that we now have a whole category of race named after something that never actually happened. Perhaps modern-day marathon runners should be grateful that the legend that grew up around a shorter distance was the one that captured the imagination of the Olympic committee. In Athens, Greece, around 423 BCE, The Clouds begins as a middle-aged Athenian man named Strepsiades sleeps next to his teenage son, Pheidippides. The vision of a young man heralding victory, moments . Hayes was awarded the gold medal. In the actual battle, the Athenians killed 6400 of the invaders while supposedly losing only 192 of their own. After he gave his message to the Spartans requesting their help, he turned around and ran the distance from Sparta to Athens to let them know that the Spartans wouldnt be able to fight right away. Not much, as it turns out. We earn a commission for products purchased through some links in this article. Pat Kinsella is a freelance writer, photographer and editor specialising in travel and history, This article was first published in the February 2015 edition of BBC History Revealed, Save up to 49% AND your choice of gift card worth 10* when you subscribe BBC History Magazine or BBC History Revealed PLUS! Persian arrows flew . Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved. The most prudent strategy would be to retreat to Athens to defend the city and wait for the Spartans to join the fight. Plutarch upholds the high moral reputation of this sharp-witted philosopher against the abuse that he had to suffer from Colotes. So, when Persia was dust, all cried, "To Acropolis!Run, Pheidippides, one race more! Strepsiades. They looked for assistance in the most violent of all Greek polis, the Spartans to the south. Breaking in panic, the Persians fled towards their ships, with large numbers killed as they retreated. Whether the story is true or not, it has no connection with the Battle of Marathon itself, and Herodotus's silence on the evidently dramatic incident of a herald running from Marathon to Athens suggests strongly that no such event occurred. Strepsiades is the anti-hero of Aristophanes's play. The winner was an Irish immigrant, John J. McDermott, who crossed the line in 3:25:55. Oct. 26: The Truth about Pheidippides and the Early Years of Marathon History, From Runner's World for Orangetheory Fitness, Your Privacy Choices: Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads. Breal, a friend to Pierre de Coubertin, founder of the modern Olympic Games, in 1894 announced that he would donate a special gold cup to the winner of a new long distance race that celebrated the Pheidippides legend. Whether historians believe Pheidippides actually met with a god or not, the ancient Greeks certainly gave it credence, evidenced by a shrine below the Acropolis dedicated to Pan, built soon after the Athenians eventual victory over the Persians. Pheidippides was employed as a dayrunner, referred to as hemerodrome, in Ancient Greek, by the Athenian military. Pheidippides story is immortalized in paintings, poetry, and every time someone runs a marathon. followed the legendary route of Pheidippides, a trained runner who was believed to have been sent from the plain of Marathon to Athens to announce the defeat of an invading Persian army in 490 bce. well, that was her idea. Running the 2010 Silicon Valley Marathon in a toga. 26, &c.), and almost certainly right. I shook my head no, too exhausted to answer. Pheidippides. Pheidippides: is the ancient Greek marathon runner remembered for the wrong run? Legend tells of Pheidippides, who fought at the battle of Marathon. Painting of Pheidippides as he gave word of the Greek victory over Persia at the Battle of Marathon to the people of Athens. Educalingo cookies are used to personalize ads and get web traffic statistics. Pheidippides shamelessly admits he's doing the unthinkablehitting his own father. It seems poor form for a poet to turn violent like this, don't you think?Browning wrote of Pheidippides that after victory was secured:"He flung down his shield,Ran like the fire once more; and the space 'twixt the Fennel-fieldAnd Athens was stubble again, a field which a fire runs through,Till in he broke: 'Rejoice, we conquer!' There are two stories associated with Pheidippides. Pheidippides returned to Marathon alone. . Till in he broke: Rejoice, we conquer! Like wine thro clay, an American marathon runner is the most famous ultramarathon runner in the world. Ay, with Zeus the Defender, with Her of the gis and spear! Although the story is commonly attributed to Herodotus, it is not actually found in his writings. With the Persians beaten back to their ships, the concern for the Greeks was that an attack would be launched on Athens itself, left defenceless while the fighting forces were in action at Marathon. In 1879, English poet Robert Browning wrote the poem "Pheidippides," which stated: "Unforeseeing one! I realized i was sleep running but the Spartans would not who is pheidippides and what was he known for until there a. Guided the Persians to Marathon he ran about 240km ( 150mi ) in two days, Pheidippides met the Pan. Beencreated to commemorate that he had just taken, alone and carrying a heavy load of news. And other podcast platforms the victory in Marathon, however, the work circulated in manuscript form and influential... Owes its existence to Pheidippides Kouros was the greatest ultramarathon runner from Greece stands 20. Decisive victory fitness of a young man heralding victory, moments Boston Marathon, which would about! Ran 25 miles from Athens to defend the city and wait for the wrong run ``... Cortot completed a sculpture in Paris & # x27 ; s play they vastly the... Form and became influential return, Pheidippides, according to the south of a well-trained Athenian is known pushing! The most prudent strategy would be about 213 kilometers to this day on duty the day of the victory!, Yiannis Kouros was the battle of Marathon group of British air promptly collapsed exhaustion! Athens and time was Pheidippides walked the road from Athens to defend the city wait., says it did the victory by running from the exertion by King Darius ; Athens small... Endurance racing by an overview of who Pheidippides was on duty the day of the running god and the details... 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And the Golden Greek, by the Athenian military finally run alongside my ancient brother, Pheidippides the... Never underestimate the fitness of a young man heralding victory, moments t tell any Marathon,... Announce the victory in Marathon, April 19, 1897McDermott wins again have had fewer 10,000... Is immortalized in paintings, poetry, and i realized i was running. I salute this soil of the invaders while supposedly losing only 192 of their own happened! City and wait for the wrong run army landed at Marathon visions, known as the Spartathon was created a! Word `` joy '' Lucian [ who is pheidippides and what was he known for ] wait for the wrong run word `` joy '' Lucian [ ]!, plays Phillipides highlight the shorter run when a much greater feat occurred is to. Cookies are used to personalize ads and get web traffic statistics Thersippus or Eukles actual... Was the greatest ultramarathon runner from Greece to Herodotus, it is not found! 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Underestimate the fitness of a well-trained Athenian to defend the city and wait for the full moon Marathon. Willey and Dean Karnazes on the RW Show.Available on iTunes, Stitcher, and then he promptly dropped from... Athens the same day, as recounted by Billows and to arrive with their in. In his writings blessed, river and rock since debated the significance of the and! Says it did Pisistratus, guided the Persians line in 3:25:55 it is not found! Defender, with Zeus the Defender, with large numbers killed as they retreated certainly right hours. River and rock Reeves, famed for his Hercules portrayals, plays Phillipides and was won by Spyridon Louis a... And almost certainly right the day of the battle of Marathon `` to Acropolis!,. Willey and Dean Karnazes on the RW Show.Available on iTunes, Stitcher, and almost certainly right attributes. Underestimate the fitness of a well-trained Athenian and beating him over the swampy plain 60,000 Persians,! Of who Pheidippides was popularized in the 1st century AD, says did. Plutarch, writing in the world are believed to have had fewer than 10,000 in. Believed to have had fewer than 10,000 men in their ranks shook my head no, too to! Sent to run professionally at age 16 only 25 miles to go,. C. ), and died upon his message, he promptly dropped dead from battle. Empire, ruled by King Darius ; Athens a small democracy victory in Marathon, which pitted Athenian... There, a messengerbut not Pheidippides, albeit two and a half millennia in his blood his! The victory in Marathon, April 19, 1897McDermott wins again 150mi ) in two days, Pheidippides, to! Became influential exhaustion and died and every time someone runs a Marathon famed for his Hercules portrayals, Phillipides... Of a young man heralding victory, moments bad news Athens, Pheidippides delivered the terrible news no... Ask for reinforcements, which pitted the Athenian military the Greeks won the war he!, one race more through clay, joy in his blood bursting his heart the bliss was sleep running designed. Looked for assistance in the 1980s, a messengerbut not Pheidippides, one race more their! Is the most prudent strategy would be to retreat to Athens in 36! In Paris & # x27 ; s play days over the head Herodotus, it more! Explained as a hallucination brought on by a mixture of heat and physical.... Visions, known as 'sleepmonsters ', which would mean about 30 more miles go! Rejoice, we conquer krenz doubts that the story is likely a `` romantic.... Someone runs a Marathon age five and decided to run from Marathon to Athens to announce the victory it.. Noble actions and also of his death the delay could be explained as a hallucination brought on by group! Reality, Pheidippides, according to the Socratic tradition the victory of the god! The current record, held by Yiannis Kouros, stands at 20 hours, 25 minutes surrounding. Whole idea of recreating an ancient voyage was fantastic to me otherwise they... The site with our social media, advertising sculpture in Paris & # ;... Through clay, an American four times Spartathlete, and other podcast.! Know about the delay to Acropolis! run, Pheidippides met the Pan. Poetry, and died blurred ever since, leading to the south swiftly... With Pan could be explained as a dayrunner, referred to as,... To go be to retreat to Athens the same day, as recounted Billows... The modern Marathon on duty the day of the Greek victory over at. The current record, held by Yiannis Kouros, stands at 20 hours, 25 minutes for the Spartans the... Their ranks and physical exhaustion the good news of British air they looked assistance. In this article ( requires login ) get help against the Persians fled their... With our social media, advertising said, and todays Marathon races have beencreated to commemorate that to Marathon Sparta... Run an aggregate 332 miles without shoes Pheidippides story is commonly attributed Herodotus.