The marathon is the hightlight of track and field, or probabley all of the events, at the first Olympic Games in Athens 1896.

Ath the 1894 Olympic congress, where the delegates enthusiastically voted to reestablish the Olympic Games, Professor Michel Breal, a distinguished French calssical scholar and friend of Coubertin, suggested that there be a symbolic race in the first Olympics and offered a trophy to be the winner.

It was agreed to commemorate the battle of Marathon, 490 B.C., when the Athenian messenger, Phiedippides, ran from Marathon to Athens, announced, "Rejoice, we have won," and promptly fell dead.

The distance from Marahon to Athens has been variously estimated from 22 to nearly 26 miles.