Pedzisa mutsara unotevera: Makwikwi emaMarathon akatanga kuitwa muna 1896, asi nhangemutange yacho haina kunyorwa zvakafanana neInternational Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) kusvikira muna 1921. Daro chairo nokuda kwemijaho yapamberi pa 1921 kazhinji kazhinji rakasiyana zvishoma kubva pachimiro chazvino chemakiromita 42.195. Munhangemutange dzokufanokodzera kuenda kumitambo yeOlympic yezhizha ya1896, vamhanyi vechiGiriki Charilaos Vasilakos (3:18:00) naIoannis Lavrentis (3:11:27) vakakunda makwikwi maviri okutanga emamarathon emazuva ano. Musi waApril 10, 1896, Spiridon Louis wokuGreece akakunda nhangemutange yokutanga yomumakiromita yeOlympic muAthens, kuGreece nenguva ya2:58:50; zvisinei, nhangemutange yacho yakashumwa kuva mamita 40 000 bedzi. Mwedzi mitatu gare gare, mumhanyi weBritish Len Hurst akakunda muParis yekutanga kuenda kuConflans Marathon (zvakare anenge makiromita makumi mana) munguva ye2: 31:30. Muna 1900, Hurst aizovandudza nguva yake panzira imwe cheteyo nokuratidzira kwe2:26:28. Gare gare, Shizo Kanakuri weJapan akanzi akaisa rekodhi yenyika ye2:32:45 munaNovember 1911 mumakwikwi epamba ekufanirwa kwemitambo yeOlympics ya1912, asi kuita uku kwakamhanyawo pamusoro penzvimbo inenge 40 km. Marathon yokutanga pamugwagwa zvino wepamutemo yakakundwa nomuAmerica Johnny Hayes pa
Mitambo yeOlympic yezhizha ya1908, ine nguva ya2: 55:18.4.