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paintballimpact.com / Sports / Marathon
Marathon
The marathon is truly an exercise of endurance and amazing athletic achievement. The marathon is the ultimate endurance test. The history of the marathon begins with Philippides, who died of exhaustion after running 40 km from . The 40 km was run by the Athenian Soldier in 490 B.C. The 40 km run that Philippides ran were to tell the news of the Greek victory over the Persians. To commemorate this feat, the 40 km run was included in Athens in 1896, in the first Olympics of the modern era. The official distance of marathon runs ion the modern Olympics is 42.195 km, or 26 miles, 385 yards. The marathon run as declared a permanent event at the Olympics at the in 1924.
From the first Olympics of the modern era until the 1960s, men alone were thought to be sued for the grueling feat of endurance. Then women began training for these events, beginning in the 1960s. Today women run in the Olympics as an , and many of the marathon runners today are women. In 1984, the first Olympic women's marathon was run in Los Angeles.
Today, the marathon is one of the most recognized sports in the world. In addition to the marathon being run in the summer Olympics, there are other popular venues for the around the world. Two popular venues for this endurance race are the Boston Marathon and the New York Marathon. The first run of the Boston Marathon was inaugurated on April 19th, 1897. The Boston Marathon achieved international recognition after the conclusion of World War 1. While the Boston Marathon draws some of the USA's best runners, it also features runners from all over the globe. Many experts consider the winner of the Boston Marathon to be the best marathon runner in the world. While many sporting events have competitions confined to a sporting venue specifically designed for that competition, the venue for the marathon is the road of the people. While track races are all performed within the confines of a 400 meter track, marathon races involve non-perfect roads with natural peaks and valleys. And while track athletes often rely on pure speed and fever to place for medals, the marathon runner succeeds through consistency and endurance. Unlike the sprinter, the marathon runner seeks , not amplitude.
The marathon run is a popular event, because it is an event most people can perform with the right amount of time, preparation, and determination. Though most marathon runners have no illusion about winning a race, it is exciting to run on the same track as the world's best, and to have the self satisfaction of making such a huge accomplishment. Because of its popularity, events like the Boston Marathon draw crowds of more than 30,000 racers. Amateur runners and elite athletes, men and women all run together. While athletes in sports like basketball work in controlled stadiums with heat and a/c, marathon runners must deal with steep slopes and declines, heat wind, and rain.
The sports of marathon running and paintball have a lot of common. Both sports favor athletes that are in excellent physical condition. Both sports are generally played in warm weather conditions, and winners of these events are mentally strong and determined.
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