Why only two rather special runners may be doing a 'real' marathon in Edinburgh this Sunday
The story about Ancient Athens that inspired the modern-day marathon event may not actually be true but there were other, even greater feats of endurance from antiquity
As the super-fit and the overly optimistic line up for the Edinburgh Marathon in special trainers and spandex, some may cast a sideways glance at two runners dressed in suits of armour (one raising money for Scottish Action for Mental Health, the other hoping to break a world record).
However, they may wish to consider that the story upon which the event is based – about an Ancient Greek messenger who ran from Marathon to Athens to declare victory over the Persians, then dropped down dead – was first mentioned long after the event, not by contemporaries.
If they want to mark a historic feat of endurance, they could run the 153-mile Spartathlon, in honour of Pheidippides who, according to Herodotus, ran from Athens to Sparta to ask for their help (and then ran back). Alternatively, they could recreate the heroic efforts of the Athenian citizens who, after fighting at Marathon, force-marched back to the city in heavy armour to stop a Persian force from sacking it.
So, it could be argued, only two rather special runners will be doing a ‘real’ marathon this Sunday.
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