Pheidippides: the running hero of Athens

Marathon is currently one of the founding myths of the Greeks and has been woven with myths and heroic deeds to enhance its legend. One of them is marathon running.

The Battle of Marathon occurred in 490 BC between the Athenians and the mighty Persia of Darius I. Before the battle, the Athenians had decided that if one of them did not return before sunset, the women would burn the city and flee.

The battle was a surprising Greek victory. Pheidippides was commissioned as the running messenger to carry the news to Athens. According to the myth, Pheidippides arrived at the city and died after giving the message.

Today, historical sources show that this race to Athens never happened. Still, the Greek historian Herodotus speaks of Pheidippides as a messenger runner who went from Athens to Sparta to ask for help in battle, a more impressive race because there were 213 km of mountainous terrain he supposedly covered in two days.