Editing Marathon (section)

===Modern Olympic marathon===
{{main|Marathons at the Olympics}}

When the modern Olympics [[1896 Summer Olympics|began in 1896]], the initiators and organizers were looking for a great popularizing event, recalling the glory of [[ancient Greece]]. The idea of a marathon race came from [[Michel Bréal]], who wanted the event to feature in the [[1896 Summer Olympics|first modern Olympic Games]] in 1896 in Athens. This idea was heavily supported by [[Pierre de Coubertin]], the founder of the modern Olympics, as well as by the [[Greeks]].<ref name="m-run-ency-2002">{{cite book|author1=Richard Benyo|author2=Joe Henderson|title=Running Encyclopedia|url=https://archive.org/details/runningencyclope00rich|url-access=registration|year=2002|publisher=Human Kinetics|isbn=9780736037341|pages=[https://archive.org/details/runningencyclope00rich/page/250 250]|access-date=6 April 2017}}</ref> A selection race for the Olympic marathon was held on 22 March 1896 ([[Gregorian calendar|Gregorian]]){{efn|This date is specified as 10 March in some sources as Greece used the [[Julian calendar]] at the time.}} that was won by [[Charilaos Vasilakos]] in 3 hours and 18 minutes.<ref name="m-bijkerk-young">{{cite journal|url=http://library.la84.org/SportsLibrary/JOH/JOHv7n1/JOHv7n1d.pdf|title=That Memorable First Marathon|author1=Anthony Bijkerk|author2=David C. Young|journal=Journal of Olympic History|publisher=[[International Society of Olympic Historians|ISOH]]|page=27|date=Winter 1999|access-date=6 April 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160912011834/http://library.la84.org/SportsLibrary/JOH/JOHv7n1/JOHv7n1d.pdf|archive-date=12 September 2016|url-status=dead}}. Results summary: page 27, annotation 3.</ref> The winner of the [[Athletics at the 1896 Summer Olympics&nbsp;– Men's marathon|first Olympic marathon]], on 10 April 1896 (a male-only race), was [[Spyridon Louis]], a Greek water-carrier, in 2 hours 58 minutes and 50 seconds.<ref name="m-mallon-widlund-1997">{{cite book|author1=Bill Mallon|author2=Ture Widlund|title=1896 Olympic Games: Results for All Competitors in All Events, with Commentary|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UnYwCgAAQBAJ&pg=PA69|year=1997|publisher=McFarland|pages=69|isbn=9781476609508|access-date=6 April 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170407153804/https://books.google.com/books?id=UnYwCgAAQBAJ&pg=PA69|archive-date=7 April 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> The [[Athletics at the 2004 Summer Olympics – Men's marathon|marathon of the 2004 Summer Olympics]] was run on the traditional route from [[Marathon, Greece|Marathon]] to [[Athens]], ending at [[Panathinaiko Stadium]], the venue for the 1896 Summer Olympics. That men's marathon was won by Italian [[Stefano Baldini]] in 2 hours 10 minutes and 55 seconds, a record time for this route until the non-Olympics [[Athens Classic Marathon]] of 2014 when Felix Kandie lowered the course record to 2 hours 10 minutes and 37 seconds.

[[File:1896 Olympic marathon.jpg|thumb|left|[[Burton Holmes]]'s photograph entitled ''"1896: Three athletes in training for the marathon at the Olympic Games in Athens"''.<ref name="m-getty">{{cite web|url=http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/three-athletes-in-training-for-the-marathon-at-the-olympic-news-photo/3066157|title=1896, Marathon Runners, Burton Holmes|date=10 March 2004 |publisher=Getty Images|access-date=10 May 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120619073508/http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/three-athletes-in-training-for-the-marathon-at-the-olympic-news-photo/3066157 |archive-date=19 June 2012 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="m-burtonholmes-1901">{{cite book|author=Burton Holmes|title=The Burton Holmes Lectures (Volume 3): The Olympian games in Athens|url=https://archive.org/details/burtonholmeslect03holm/page/68/mode/2up|year=1901|location=Battle Creek, Michigan|publisher=The Little-Preston Co.|pages=69|isbn=|access-date=2 March 2025}}</ref> [[Charilaos Vasilakos]] in the middle.<ref name="m-pdlakonias-2016">{{cite web|url=http://pdlakonias.gr/articles/23.pdf#page=32|title=Βιογραφικό Χαρίλαου Βασιλάκου (1875–1964)|page=32|publisher=pdlakonias.gr|date=2016|access-date=2 March 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170408222211/http://pdlakonias.gr/articles/23.pdf#page=32|archive-date=8 April 2017|url-status=live|trans-title=Biography of Charilaos Vasilakos (1875–1964)}}</ref>]]

The women's marathon was introduced at the [[1984 Summer Olympics]] (Los Angeles, US) and was won by [[Joan Benoit]] of the United States with a time of 2 hours 24 minutes and 52 seconds.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/3/3_1/olympic-champion-joan-ben.shtml |title=Olympic Champion Joan Benoit Samuelson To Be Guest of Honor at Manchester Marathon&nbsp;— Registration Closed |work=Cool Running |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120111025815/http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/3/3_1/olympic-champion-joan-ben.shtml |archive-date=11 January 2012}}</ref>

It has become a tradition for the men's Olympic marathon to be the last event of the athletics calendar, on the final day of the Olympics.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.marathonrunmuseum.com/index.php/en/the-museum/marathon-race |title=Marathon Race |publisher=Marathon Run Museum |access-date=21 August 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160822152401/http://www.marathonrunmuseum.com/index.php/en/the-museum/marathon-race |archive-date=22 August 2016}}</ref> For many years, the race finished inside the Olympic stadium; however, at the [[2012 Summer Olympics]] (London), the start and finish were on [[The Mall, London|The Mall]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.az.co.uk/blog/mapping-the-london-olympic-marathon-course |title=Mapping out the London Olympic Marathon course |date=31 July 2012 |publisher=The AZ Blog |access-date=21 August 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160823023414/http://www.az.co.uk/blog/mapping-the-london-olympic-marathon-course/ |archive-date=23 August 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref> and at the [[2016 Summer Olympics]] ([[Rio de Janeiro]]), the start and finish were in the [[Sambódromo]], the parade area that serves as a spectator mall for [[Carnival]].<ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://www.runnersworld.com/sweat-science/visualizing-the-rio-olympic-marathon-course |title=Visualizing the Rio Olympic Marathon Course |magazine=Runner's World |access-date=21 August 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160822005849/http://www.runnersworld.com/sweat-science/visualizing-the-rio-olympic-marathon-course |archive-date=22 August 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref>

Often, the men's marathon medals are awarded during the closing ceremony (including the [[2004 Summer Olympics closing ceremony|2004 games]], [[2012 Summer Olympics closing ceremony|2012 games]], [[2016 Summer Olympics closing ceremony|2016 games]] and [[2020 Summer Olympics closing ceremony|2020 games]]).

The Olympic men's record is 2:06:26, set at the [[2024 Summer Olympics]] by [[Tamirat Tola]] of Ethiopia.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.runnersworld.com/uk/news/a61850767/tamirat-tola-wins-mens-marathon-paris-olympics/|title=Tamirat Tola steps in as Ethiopia's reserve – and breaks the Olympic marathon record|website=[[Runner's World]]|date=12 August 2024|access-date=29 October 2024|first1=Rachel|last1=Boswell|first2=Rachel|last2=Lorge Butler}}</ref><!-- Do ''not'' change to Berlin world record time! Berlin 2008 was ''not'' the Olympics; those were in Beijing. -->  The Olympic women's record is 2:22:55, set at the [[2024 Summer Olympics]] by [[Sifan Hassan]] of The Netherlands.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://olympics.com/OG2024/pdf/OG2024/ATH/OG2024_ATH_C73V_ATHWMARATHON----------FNL-000100--.pdf |title=Paris 2024 - Women's Marathon - Results |website=Olympics.com |date=11 August 2024 |access-date=11 August 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240811141724/https://olympics.com/OG2024/pdf/OG2024/ATH/OG2024_ATH_C73V_ATHWMARATHON----------FNL-000100--.pdf |archive-date=11 August 2024}}</ref> Per capita, the [[Kalenjin people|Kalenjin ethnic group]] of [[Rift Valley Province]] in [[Kenya]] has produced a highly disproportionate share of marathon and track-and-field winners.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Warner |first=Gregory |date=1 November 2013 |title=How One Kenyan Tribe Produces The World's Best Runners |url=https://www.npr.org/sections/parallels/2013/11/01/241895965/how-one-kenyan-tribe-produces-the-worlds-best-runners |work=NPR}}</ref>