Marathon

Marathon

Noun / Adjective · /ˈmær.ə.θɒn/

Definition

(Noun) a long-distance running race of 26 miles 385 yards (42.195 kilometres), a standard athletic event; an extended or gruelling task or event requiring sustained endurance; (Adjective) of exceptional length or duration. The Marathon chocolate bar is the former British name for what is now called Snickers.

Origin

Named after Marathon, a plain in Greece where a famous battle was fought in 490 BCE between the Athenian army and the Persian invaders. According to legend, a Greek soldier named Pheidippides ran from Marathon to Athens — approximately 40 kilometres — to announce the Athenian victory, collapsed, said 'We have won', and died. The modern marathon race was introduced at the first modern Olympic Games in Athens in 1896.