The length of the marathon distance. Marathon distances

Marathon running is one of the most difficult running distances. The range has changed more than once, and only, at the beginning of the 20th century and until our time, it stopped at around 42 km 195 meters. The first athlete who was able to overcome this distance in the Olympic Games was the Greek postman Spyridon Louis. He ran the distance in 2 hours, 58 minutes. and 50 sec. Marathon running is one of the longest sports, among the Olympic program and official athletics competitions.

This name was given to the run thanks to the Athenian warrior-messenger. As a result of the battle between the Persians and the Greeks, the Greeks won. This messenger brought the joyful news of the triumph to Athens. He ran non-stop for about 40 km from the Greek city of Marathon to Athens itself. Having uttered the joyful news, he instantly fell and died. It was in his honor that it was named this species running. And in 1896, the Marathon run was included in the program of the 1st Olympic Games in Athens for the first time.

there are always a lot of people who want to take part in the marathon race

Before participating in a marathon, you need to train long and hard. Prepare your body and mind for the upcoming load. Every day the athlete must run at least 12 km for 3 months. Preparation keeps the muscles in constant tone, the body becomes stronger, more resilient, willpower and patience are developed. Cardio load - vascular system thanks to training, it has to be gradual, which is not unimportant, since the heart also needs to be prepared for the race. Apart from physical training It is advisable to monitor nutrition, eat foods rich in nutrients.

To participate in the marathon, athletes are allowed who have presented medical certificate a month before the start of the race, that their health condition allows them to participate in the marathon. Participants run the distance often along the highway, sometimes along pedestrian and bike lanes. Start and finish must start on the territory of the stadium. Clothing, shoes and accessories should be as comfortable and reliable as possible.

Marathon coordinators must ensure the participants complete safety and comfort. On the allotted area for the competition there should be no vehicles and objects that interfere with the athletes. Every 5-6 km there should be food and respite points. Participants can only drink refreshments provided by the organizers of the marathon. For non-compliance with this rule, the athlete may be removed from the race. Marathon races are held in any city in the world, both among men and women. The length of the marathon, as mentioned earlier, is about 42 km.

Marathon preparation plan

Training for a Successful Finish

The start of the race takes place with the command "To the start!". Participants approach the start line, put one leg forward, stop in a step position. At the same time, the legs and arms are in a half-bent state, the body is slightly tilted forward. At the command "Attention!" body weight shifts to bent leg, the angle of inclination of the body increases, the race begins. Light sweeping hand movements help athletes run throughout the entire distance.

As everyone knows, running distances are logically divided into short, medium and long distances. A little apart is the discipline of ultra-long distance running.

Sprint races for short distances do not exceed 400 meters. In medium running distances up to 3,000 meters, may include a variety of disciplines, including steeplechase. Engaging exclusively in sprinting for short distances is the lot of professional Olympians due to its specificity.

Long distance running

We are interested in long-distance running, which, according to the conventional wisdom, begins after 3 km, or rather, 2 miles = 3,218 meters. However, we all love marathons into the category long distance running are not officially included, because they are held not in the stadium, but in the open air. Therefore, the classic marathon distance 42 km 195 m It's just called a marathon.

Popular disciplines of long-distance running included in the programs of the Olympic Games and World Championships in athletics are 5 000 And 10,000 meters. Note that the running distances, which are held inside the stadium, are usually measured in meters. At the same time, such outdoor races are measured in kilometers.

When it comes to starting jogging, it is stayer running that is meant. Up to participation in amateur marathons. It is thanks to him that we radically change our lifestyle and with our feet create excellent conditions for the healing of the whole organism. Long-distance running is of interest to everyone who struggles with overweight, stress or strengthens its cardiosystem and immunity. Sometimes it is called simply - long run.

Marathon. History, distance and rules

The meaning of the word "marathon" comes from the name of the Greek city of Marathon in Attica and is associated with the legend of a Greek warrior who ran to Athens with the news of victory. However, according to historians who unearthed documentary sources, this was not entirely true and not entirely there.

But this did not prevent the inclusion of the marathon as a discipline in the Olympic Games and the first official race was held along the Marathon-Athens route in 1896. True, this distance fits into 34.5 km. In general, the distance of the first marathons was quite strongly thrown both up and down. And only in the 1920s did it settle down and was officially accepted as 42.195 km.

Modern rules dictate that the marathon be run on paved roads. But there are a lot of cross-country races, sometimes with rather difficult terrain and in extreme conditions, also called marathons. Even despite the fact that the distance can be very different from the generally accepted one.

half marathon

There is another one of the most popular distances - half marathon. Accordingly, this 21 km 97.5 m. The half marathon is one of the iconic points in the training of amateur runners, who a few months ago could not even run a kilometer.

In almost any running competition, half marathons are also held in parallel with the marathon for those who still find it difficult to run the full distance. Among runners, the half marathon is simply called half.

Ironman triathlon running

The marathon is an integral third element of extreme triathlon competitions. Ironman. Accordingly, after a 3.8-kilometer swim (sometimes in icy water) and after a 180-kilometer road bike race, in order to carry the title of "iron man", you still need to run 42 kilometers. A good result will be if you meet 12 hours. But for starters, it would be great to get to the finish line at all.

ultramarathon

Special discipline of running - ultramarathon. There are no clear restrictions: everything over 42.195 km is an ultramarathon. And although the most frequent competitions are held at distances 50 And 100 km, often ultramarathons are first laid on the map, and then they look at how much it turned out. The duration of such titanic tests can last more than one day, moreover, in the most unsuitable conditions for this.

Almost all ultramarathons are tightly connected with such a discipline as trailrunning, because most of the trails run over rough terrain.

After the first purposeful and conscious run in my life, it's hard to resist setting sports goals. And if at least one of them is achieved, then a person can no longer be stopped. And that's great. But if running has an exclusively health-improving purpose, then you should not once again cross the line of your capabilities and rush headlong into extreme loads.

Marathon running is one of the hardest disciplines athletics. Not every athlete is able to run a set distance. To overcome it, you need to have strength and endurance. For the body of an athlete, this is a heavy load. However, with all the complexity, it is a sport that is useful for the whole organism, which regular workouts, improves heart function and prevents the development of a number of diseases.

A marathon is a race long distance with an officially accepted distance of 42 kilometers 195 meters (26.219 miles, or 26 miles 385 yards). Trained athletes who are able to withstand a long distance take part in it.

The event was organized in memory of the legendary runner, the Greek warrior Pheidippides, who ran a distance of 250 kilometers in a day and a half. He informed the Athenians about the victory over the Persian army at the battle of Marathon and immediately died of exhaustion. Pheidippides was a national hero, and his strength and courage were admired by many. A monument was erected in his honor on the road to Marathon so that future generations would not forget about his feat.

monument on the Athenian road

More than eight hundred marathons are held annually around the world. Many people take part in them to demonstrate physical training and test your abilities. However, few, even among the marathon runners themselves, can say why such a distance was officially adopted.

This is a very interesting question, the answer to which can hardly be found in textbooks. Its history goes back to the end of the 19th - beginning of the 20th century, at a time when the tradition of holding the Olympic Games was revived. We will talk about this below.

1896 is the date of the first modern Olympic Games. An important event that will go down in history forever. This year the marathon runners ran forty kilometers. After the victory of the Greek athlete, representatives of other countries became interested in this sport. Athletes dreamed of breaking the Olympian's record and proving their endurance. The marathon has ceased to be a distance reserved for exceptional people. It becomes clear that with the proper amount of training and good health, each person is able to overcome the distance. Marathon running is gaining worldwide popularity.

It is interesting to note the fact that runners often arrived at the finish line during the closing ceremony of the Olympic Games or some time before it began. This emphasizes the status of the marathon race, which is the final discipline. Over time, this has become a tradition, and the marathon completes the program of the Games. Unfortunately, athletes are not always well prepared, which is why some of them are simply not physically able to run to the finish line.

However, if in this case we can talk about a well-established rule, then there were no uniform standards regarding the length of the distance. The main condition was that the athletes must run along the same route in equal conditions. The length of the race was determined depending on the place of the marathon, and each time it was a different number.

Let's trace the history of marathon running. Since 1896, the length of the marathon has been at least 40 kilometers. Scientists have calculated that just such a distance was the distance from the city of Marathon to Athens. However, at the subsequent Olympic Games, new standards were set, which differed significantly from each other.

Only in 1921 International Association athletics federations, a modern distance was established. How was it calculated, and what influenced the commission's decision?

For the first time, marathon runners ran just such a distance at the London Olympics, which were held in 1908. However, this did not happen on purpose, it was originally agreed on a different distance, but the case intervened. At first, it was decided to hold marathon competitions on a 25-mile (40 kilometers 23 meters) track. During the race, it had to be changed. From Windsor Castle, part of the royal family watched the start of the runners. At the White City stadium, as you probably already guessed, there were also representatives of the royal family. It was in this place that the runners had to complete their distance. And for their convenience, the distance was lengthened. In addition, the runners had to face difficulties due to the intense heat. However, the marathon ended successfully, The Royal Family was satisfied with what she saw. Gold was won by the American athlete D. Hayes.

The London Olympics was the first time that athletes ran the distance accepted in modern competitions. However, the story does not end there. The distance that the athletes ran in London was not officially fixed as a benchmark for subsequent Olympic Games. The organizers did not develop a single figure that could be officially fixed for all competitions until 1924.

At the next two Olympics, the length of the distance was very different. In Stockholm in 1912 it was 40 kilometers 200 meters. That is, more than two kilometers less than London. Only eight years later, the length of the distance was practically close to modern standards and amounted to 42 kilometers 750 meters. It was held in Antwerp.

It is logical to assume that such a situation could not continue for a long time. International Olympic Committee and the Athletics Federation advocated the creation of a single distance for all the Olympic Games, regardless of where they will be held. It was decided to fix the exact length of the marathon distance.

It is difficult to say why exactly the distance of the London Marathon was taken as the standard. Members sports organizations, having consulted among themselves, decided to fix this figure. Such a decision could be influenced by many different factors, which we can only speculate about. There is no exact answer to the question. However, starting from Olympic Games 1924, marathon runners run a standard distance of 42 kilometers 195 meters. This is such a complex history of marathon running. However, despite the fact that it is not fully understood, it is important and necessary to know.

The world record in this discipline belongs to Dennis Kimetto, who took part in the Berlin Marathon in September 2014. He showed excellent results, forcing professional athletes to look up to him, and fans - to admire his capabilities and respect for his strength of mind. The best marathon runners are able to run at speeds of more than twenty kilometers per hour!

Runners all over the world consider it important to participate in a marathon. Together with the leading athletes, make a race, and thereby join the world track and field athletics movement. Many marathon organizers hold lotteries to identify future participants, as a large number of people want to run the distance and test their abilities. This trend cannot but rejoice, because playing sports is an important part of an active lifestyle. And a person who loves sports and devotes his free time every day is an example for many.