Ka kammala wannan magana: Sa'ad da aka soma wasannin Olympics na zamani a shekara ta 1896, waɗanda suka kafa su da kuma waɗanda suka shirya su suna neman wani babban abin da zai sa mutane su yi sha'awar wasannin, wanda zai tuna da ɗaukakar ƙasar Hellas ta dā. Tunanin tseren marathon ya fito ne daga Michel Bréal, wanda yake son wannan taron ya kasance cikin wasannin Olympics na farko na zamani a 1896 a Athens. Pierre de Coubertin, wanda ya kafa wasannin Olympics na zamani, da kuma Helenawa sun goyi bayan wannan ra'ayin sosai. Helenawa sun shirya tseren zaɓaɓɓu don wasan marathon na Olympics a ranar 22 ga Maris 1896 (Gregorian) wanda Charilaos Vasilakos ya ci nasara a cikin awanni 3 da mintuna 18 (tare da wanda ya ci nasara a gaba na wasan marathon na wasannin Olympic, Spyridon "Spyros" Louis, yana zuwa na biyar a tsere na biyu makonni biyu bayan haka). Wanda ya lashe gasar Olympic ta farko, a ranar 10 ga Afrilu, 1896 (tseren maza ne kawai), shine Spyridon Louis, mai ɗaukar ruwa na Girka, a cikin awanni 2 da minti 58 da dakika 50. Ƙungiyar
An gudanar da wasan marathon na Wasannin Olympics na 2004 a kan hanyar gargajiya daga Marathon zuwa Athens, wanda ya ƙare a filin wasa na Panathinaiko, wurin da aka yi wasannin Olympics na 1896. Wannan marathon na maza ya lashe Italiyanci Stefano Baldini a cikin sa'o'i 2 da minti 10 da dakika 55, lokaci ne na rikodin wannan hanyar har zuwa marathon na Athens Classic marathon na 2014, lokacin da Felix Kandie ya rage rikodin hanya zuwa sa'o'i 2 da minti 10 da dakika 37.