marathon

marathon
   a traditional unit of distance used in athletics. The length of a marathon is exactly 42 195 meters (about half an inch longer than 26 miles 385 yards). Invented for the first modern Olympic Games at Athens in 1896, the marathon recalls a run made in 490 BC by a Greek soldier (possibly Pheidippides) to bring to Athens the news of the Greek victory over the Persians at the Battle of Marathon. However, the actual distance from Marathon to Athens is only about 36.75 kilometers. The 1896 run was exactly 40 kilometers from the Marathon Bridge to the Olympic Stadium. At the 1908 Olympics in London, a course of 26 miles 385 yards brought runners from Windsor Castle to White City Stadium (the story is that exactly 26 miles was intended, but Queen Alexandra insisted that the finish line be moved in front of the royal box). The marathons at the Olympic Games varied in length until the 1924 Olympics in Paris, when the International Olympic Committee adopted the 1908 London distance as official.

Dictionary of units of measurement. 2015.

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  • marathon — [ maratɔ̃ ] n. m. • 1896; de Marathon, ville grecque d où courut, jusqu à Athènes, le soldat portant la nouvelle de la victoire 1 ♦ Course à pied de grand fond (42 km 195) sur route. Le vainqueur du marathon aux Jeux olympiques. 2 ♦ Fig. Épreuve… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • Marathon ∞ — Marathon Infinity Marathon infinity Éditeur Bungie Software Développeur Bungie Software Concepteur   Date de sortie 1996 Genre jeu de tir subjectif Mode de jeu …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Marathon 2 — Marathon 2: Durandal Marathon 2: Durandal Éditeur Bungie Software Développeur Bungie Software Concepteur   Date de sortie 1995 Genre jeu de tir subjectif Mode …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Marathon — Marathon, NY U.S. village in New York Population (2000): 1063 Housing Units (2000): 439 Land area (2000): 1.129180 sq. miles (2.924563 sq. km) Water area (2000): 0.000000 sq. miles (0.000000 sq. km) Total area (2000): 1.129180 sq. miles (2.924563 …   StarDict's U.S. Gazetteer Places

  • marathon — n. 1. A footrace of 26 miles 385 yards. [WordNet sense 2] [WordNet 1.5] 2. Hence: Any long and arduous undertaking, straining the endurance of the participants. [WordNet sense 1] Syn: endurance contest. [WordNet 1.5] 3. (Capitalized)a battle in… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Marathon, FL — U.S. city in Florida Population (2000): 10255 Housing Units (2000): 6791 Land area (2000): 8.646210 sq. miles (22.393581 sq. km) Water area (2000): 0.997177 sq. miles (2.582676 sq. km) Total area (2000): 9.643387 sq. miles (24.976257 sq. km) FIPS …   StarDict's U.S. Gazetteer Places

  • Marathon, IA — U.S. city in Iowa Population (2000): 302 Housing Units (2000): 162 Land area (2000): 0.731810 sq. miles (1.895378 sq. km) Water area (2000): 0.000000 sq. miles (0.000000 sq. km) Total area (2000): 0.731810 sq. miles (1.895378 sq. km) FIPS code:… …   StarDict's U.S. Gazetteer Places

  • Marathon, NY — U.S. village in New York Population (2000): 1063 Housing Units (2000): 439 Land area (2000): 1.129180 sq. miles (2.924563 sq. km) Water area (2000): 0.000000 sq. miles (0.000000 sq. km) Total area (2000): 1.129180 sq. miles (2.924563 sq. km) FIPS …   StarDict's U.S. Gazetteer Places

  • Marathon, TX — U.S. Census Designated Place in Texas Population (2000): 455 Housing Units (2000): 287 Land area (2000): 5.254798 sq. miles (13.609865 sq. km) Water area (2000): 0.000000 sq. miles (0.000000 sq. km) Total area (2000): 5.254798 sq. miles… …   StarDict's U.S. Gazetteer Places

  • marathon — (n.) 1896, marathon race, from story of Gk. hero Pheidippides, who in 490 B.C.E. ran the 26 miles and 385 yards to Athens from the Plains of Marathon to tell of the allied Greek victory there over Persian army. The original story (Herodotus) is… …   Etymology dictionary

  • Marathon — MARĂTHON, ónis, Gr. Μαραθὼν, ῶνος, des Epopeus Sohn, gieng den Unbilligkeiten seines Vaters aus dem Wege und machte sich mit einer Colonie seiner Leute nach Attica. Da er aber hörete, daß sein Vater gestorben war, so kehrete er wieder in den… …   Gründliches mythologisches Lexikon

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