Chapter 01 of 5
The Messenger Who Never Was
How a muddled ancient legend became the Olympics' most famous race.
- The Legend
A runner, a victory, a collapse
The story goes that a Greek messenger ran from Marathon to Athens, announced victory over the Persians, and dropped dead. It is one of the most retold tales in sport.
- The Battle
Marathon, 490 BC
At the Battle of Marathon, Athenian soldiers defeated a much larger Persian invasion force on a plain about 40 km northeast of Athens.
- The Source
Herodotus tells it differently
The historian Herodotus, writing within a lifetime of the battle, describes a runner called Pheidippides — but sent to Sparta to ask for help, not to Athens with news.
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Could you answer this?
According to Herodotus, where did Pheidippides run to before the Battle of Marathon?
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🏃 The Marathon: From Myth to Two Hours
- 01The Messenger Who Never WasHow a muddled ancient legend became the Olympics' most famous race.
- 02The Royal DistanceWhy the marathon is 26.2 miles — and the race that broke a runner's body.
- 03Barefoot Through RomeThe unknown Ethiopian who won the Olympic marathon without shoes.
- 04The Women Who Ran AnywayWomen were told they couldn't run 26.2 miles. They proved otherwise.
- 05Breaking TwoBiology, carbon-plated shoes and the first marathon under two hours.