Marathon Day

What Is Marathon Day?

September 12 is "Marathon Day" in Japan. It is based on the legend that after the Athenians defeated the Persians at the Battle of Marathon, a soldier named Pheidippides (Philippides) ran about 40 km from Marathon to Athens, announced "We have won," and then collapsed and died. This story became the inspiration for the marathon event of the modern Olympic Games. The organization that established the day is not known.

How the Distance "42.195 km" Came to Be

The marathon's distance settled into its current form through a surprising history.

• From legend to sport: At the first modern Olympics in Athens in 1896, a race of about 40 km from Marathon to the stadium in Athens was held at the suggestion of French linguist Michel Bréal. This was the first marathon race. At first the distance varied from one Olympics to the next, as long as it was roughly 40 km.
• The 1908 London Olympics: The race was planned to run 26 miles (about 41.843 km) from Windsor Castle to the stadium. According to a famous anecdote, a royal request that the start be in the castle grounds and the finish in front of the royal box added 385 yards, making the distance 26 miles 385 yards (42.195 km). Some historians, however, say there is no firm evidence for this story.
• Standardization: From the 1924 Paris Olympics onward, the 42.195 km distance used in London was adopted as the official distance, and it remains so today.

Legend Versus the Historical Record

The Pheidippides story actually differs from what ancient historians wrote.

• According to Herodotus: Philippides ran about 250 km from Athens to Sparta before the battle to ask for reinforcements, and there is no mention of him dying afterward.
• A 19th-century legend: The tale of the run from Marathon to Athens became widely known through a poem by the English poet Robert Browning.
• Uncertain date: The Battle of Marathon is generally dated to 490 BC, although some Japanese anniversary references give 450 BC, and the September 12 date is only one of several theories.

Marathon Trivia

• Japan's first marathon: On March 21, 1909, a "Great Marathon Race" of about 32 km was held from Kobe to Osaka. A monument marking the "Birthplace of the Marathon in Japan" was placed in front of Kobe City Hall in 2011 (the actual start in 1909 was near Minatogawa in Hyogo Ward).
• Japan's first Olympic marathoner: Shizo Kanakuri ran the marathon at the 1912 Stockholm Olympics, the first Games Japan took part in.
• A finish 54 years later: Kanakuri collapsed from heatstroke during the race and returned home without officially withdrawing, so he remained "still racing" in the records. In 1967 he was invited to a commemorative event in Stockholm and crossed the finish line, setting the longest marathon time on record: 54 years, 8 months, 6 days, 5 hours, 32 minutes and 20.3 seconds.
• The Dorando tragedy: At the 1908 London Olympics, Italy's Dorando Pietri entered the stadium in the lead but collapsed near the finish and was helped across the line by officials, leading to his disqualification.
• The rise of city marathons: The Tokyo Marathon, launched in 2007, merged the Tokyo International Marathon and other races into a single large-scale event in which elite athletes and recreational runners share the same course, and it grew to some 30,000 participants.

Ideas for Spending Marathon Day

• Walk or run a little farther than usual, at your own pace.
• Break a big project into sections, like the stages of a 42.195 km course, and check your progress against each small goal.
• Look up city marathons or walking events being held near you.
• Read about Shizo Kanakuri or the history of the Olympic marathon.

Keep Going at Your Own Pace

September 12 is a day to think of the soldier said to have run across an ancient battlefield. Marathon history is full of surprising stories: the gap between legend and fact, a royal anecdote, and a finish that took more than half a century. Life and work are long journeys, too. There is value not just in speed, but in keeping your own pace and continuing on. Today, take each step with care as you head into autumn.