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4A marathon is 2.195 kilometers, not a meter more or less. But why is the distance so precise for one of the key events of the Olympics?
On August 10, the group will travel through the capital and its surroundings. The women’s marathon will take place the next day, one of the final events of the Games, a few hours before the closing ceremony. The athletes will start at the Hôtel de Ville, run along the Seine, then head to the Palace of Versailles and finish at the Place des Invalides. Many stages of the marathon will be free and open to the public, with no tickets required.
The distance to please the King of England
To understand why the marathon is 42.195 kilometers, there are several stories. The first one dates back to ancient Greece. It is said that during the First Persian War in 490 BC, a messenger named Philippidis ran from the city of Marathon to Athens to announce the victory of the Greeks over the Persians. The distance between the two cities was about 40 kilometers. Although the distance Philippidis traveled has never been precisely determined, the stories surrounding the message may have inspired the distance. Pierre de Coubertin, the founder of the modern Olympic Games, named the event the “marathon” in honor of the story of this Greek messenger.
But ultimately, the origins of this distance have more contemporary origins. During the 1908 London Olympics, the original distance was 26 miles, or 41.8 km. But the royal family requested that the refereeing take place in front of King Edward VII’s Royal Box at the White City Stadium. This request extended the distance by about 400 m to 42.195 km. During the last modern Olympic Games, held in 1896, the distance hovered around 40 km and could vary slightly.
It was subsequently reserved for use in subsequent Olympic Games and all competitions. In 1921, the International Amateur Athletic Federation officially designated 42.195 kilometers as the official marathon distance.
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