FUN WITH MAPS – ISSUE 2023-145 DAILY FEATURE:

By Steve Kovacs (Introduction by Chuck Gibson)

LOVELAND, OH (September 12, 2023) – In today’s edition of Fun with Maps, we visit Ancient Greece to trace the first steps of marathon running.

ENDURANCE RUNNING

Today is the traditional date for the Battle of Marathon, which took place between the Greeks, specifically the Athenians, and Persians in 490 BC.  This was a decisive victory for the Greeks and led to the Persians losing control of the mainland area.

Today it is mostly well-known because of the legend of the runner Philippides who ran from Athens to Sparta – a distance of over 140 miles – in a day to ask for assistance in defeating the Persians.  Some later versions include that he then ran from Marathon to Athens to announce the victory and promptly died of exhaustion after delivering the news.

When organizing the events of the first Olympics and looking for a salute to its Greek origins, a race – a marathon – to recall the glorious triumph was planned.  The distance chosen was from Marathon to Athens, about 25 miles, just a little shorter than today’s standard of 26.2 miles.

Tanner’s map of Greece is shown here from 1836.

Steve Kovacs and his wife Theresa reside in Loveland, Ohio where they raised their two children. He is a passionate collector of antique maps.

Visit his antique map boutique world-on-paper online. Watch for his daily feature Steve Kovacs: Fun with Maps here on Loveland Beacon.