0_Wizard
I abhor running! lol I could never run a marathon which is a long distance race with a distance of approximately 26 miles.
The marathon is a long-distance running race with an official distance of 42.195 kilometres (26.219 miles, or 26 miles 385 yards), usually run as a road race.
chosen_Marathon_0
Marathon
chosen_topic_0_Marathon
Marathon
The marathon is a long-distance running race with an official distance of 42.195 kilometres (26.219 miles, or 26 miles 385 yards), usually run as a road race. The event was instituted in commemoration of the fabled run of the Greek soldier Pheidippides, a messenger from the Battle of Marathon to Athens, who reported the victory. The marathon was one of the original modern Olympic events in 1896, though the distance did not become standardized until 1921. More than 800 marathons are held throughout the world each year, with the vast majority of competitors being recreational athletes as larger marathons can have tens of thousands of participants.
Long-distance running
Long-distance running, or endurance running, is a form of continuous running over distances of at least eight kilometres (5 miles). Physiologically, it is largely aerobic in nature and requires stamina as well as mental strength. Among mammals, humans are well adapted for running significant distances, and particularly so among primates. The endurance running hypothesis suggests that running endurance in the "Homo" genus arose because travelling over large areas improved scavenging opportunities and allowed persistence hunting. The capacity for endurance running is also found in migratory ungulates and a limited number of terrestrial carnivores, such as dogs, wolves and hyenas.
Athletics at the 1908 Summer Olympics – Men's marathon
The men's marathon race of the 1908 Summer Olympics took place in London on 24 July 1908. Johnny Hayes won after Dorando Pietri was disqualified for having received assistance before the finish line. For the first time in an Olympic marathon, the distance was 26 miles, 385 yards (42 195 m), which would become the standard distance in 1921. 75 competitors entered the race, of whom 55 from 16 nations started, with 27 from 11 nations finishing. At a meeting of the International Olympic Committee in The Hague in May 1907 it was agreed with the British Olympic Association that the 1908 Olympics would include a marathon of about 25 miles or 40 kilometres.
Ekiden
The term originated in Japan, although the concept of a long distance relay race is not unique to any country. The first "ekiden" race was sponsored by the Yomiuri Shimbun in 1917, and was run over three days between the old Japanese capital of Kyoto and the modern capital of Tokyo, a distance of 508 km, to celebrate the anniversary of the moving of the capital to Tokyo. As written in Japanese, "Ekiden" combines the characters for "station" (駅) and "transmit" (伝). This name was coined by the poet Toki Zemmaro (1885–1980), who was head of the Yomiuri Shimbun's Social Affairs Department at the time.
Zersenay Tadese
Zersenay Tadese (Tigrinya: ዘርእሰናይ ታደሰ; born 8 February 1982) is an Eritrean long-distance track and road running athlete. He currently holds the men's half marathon world record. His bronze medal in the 10,000 metres at the 2004 Athens Olympics made him the first ever Eritrean Olympic medallist, and his 20-km title at the 2006 IAAF World Road Running Championships also made him the country's first athlete to win at a world championship event. He does not use a sprint finish to win races; his strategy relies on a combination of efficient running and fast pace setting. Zersenay ("Tadese" is his father's name) has found most of his success in the half marathon, with four consecutive victories in the World Half Marathon Championships from 2006 to 2009, a fifth title in 2012, and a world record at the Lisbon Half Marathon in 2010.
Kenenisa Bekele
Kenenisa Bekele (; born 13 June 1982) is an Ethiopian long-distance runner and the current world record and Olympic record holder in both the 5,000 metre and 10,000 metre events. He took Gold in both the 10,000m and 5,000m events at the 2008 Summer Olympics. At the 2004 Olympics he took Gold in the 10,000m and Silver in the 5000m. He is married to Danawit Gebregziabher (m. 2007) and he has one younger brother, Tariku Bekele, who is also an accomplished world-class distance runner. He is the most successful runner in IAAF World Cross Country Championships history, with six long (12 km) course and five short (4 km) course titles.
Middle-distance running
Middle-distance running events are track races longer than sprints, up to 3000 metres. The standard middle distances are the 800 metres, 1500 metres and mile run, although the 3000 metres may also be classified as a middle-distance event. The 1500 m came about as a result of running three and 3/4 laps of a 400 m outdoor track or 7 and a half laps of a 200m indoor track, which were commonplace in continental Europe in the 20th century. A very uncommon middle-distance event that is sometimes run by sprinters for muscle stamina training. This was a popular distance, particularly indoors, when imperial distances were common.