Editing Long-distance running (section)

===Messengers===
With developments in agriculture and culture, long-distance running took more and more purposes other than hunting: religious ceremonies, delivering messages for military and political purposes, and sport.<ref name="Sears2001" />

Running messengers are reported from early [[Sumer]], were named ''lasimu''<ref>The Assyrian Dictionary L (Chicago: The Oriental Institute), 104–108. 1973</ref> as military men as well as the king's officials who disseminated documents throughout the kingdom by running.<ref>Deane Anderson Lamont, Running Phenomena in Ancient Sumer" ''Journal of Sport History'', Vol.22, No. 3 (Fall 1995).</ref>  [[Ancient Greece]] was famous for its running messengers, who were named ''[[hemerodromoi]]'', meaning "day runners".<ref>{{cite web |title= History of the 24hr race | first = Andy | last = Milroy | access-date = 2013-08-13 | url = http://www.ultralegends.com/history-of-the-24hr-race/ | url-status = usurped | archive-date = 2010-01-02 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100102190805/http://www.ultralegends.com/history-of-the-24hr-race/ }}</ref> One of the most famous running messengers is [[Pheidippides]], who according to the legend ran from [[Marathon, Greece|Marathon]] to [[Athens]] to announce the victory of the [[Ancient Greece|Greek]] over the [[Achaemenid Empire|Persians]] in the [[Battle of Marathon]] in 490 B.C. He collapsed and died as he delivered the message "we won".<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Hammond |first=N. G. L. |year=1968 |title=The Campaign and the Battle of Marathon |journal=The Journal of Hellenic Studies |volume=88 |pages=13–57 |doi=10.2307/628670 |jstor=628670|s2cid=163130634 }}</ref>  While there are debates around the accuracy of this historical legend,<ref>Lovett, C. (1997). Olympic Marathon: A Centennial History of the Games' Most Storied Race. Retrieved from http://www.marathonguide.com/history/olympicmarathons/prologue.cfm</ref> whether Pheidippides ran from Marathon to Athens or between other cities, how far this was, and if he was the one to deliver the victory message,<ref>The" Hemerodromoi": Ultra Long-Distance Running in Antiquity. The Classical World'', Vol. 68, No. 3 (November 1974), pp. 161-169.''</ref> the [[Marathon|marathon running event]] of 26.2 miles / 42.195&nbsp;km is based on this legend.