2,500 years ago Pheidippides ran from Marathon to Athens where he proclaimed ‘We have won’, then collapsed and died – and so a worldwide distance running event was born. Most accounts of this story – usually told by those that want to reason that marathon running is dangerous leave out the fact that earlier in the week Pheidippides had run 150 miles to Sparta and back – see, he didn’t have enough rest days. Never underestimate the importance of rest days. Yesterday, to mark the first ever marathon, 12,500 people ran the same route that Pheidippides ran.

It would have been fitting in a Greek had won the anniversary event, but alas it wasn’t to be. Kenya’s Raymond Bett won the 28th Athens Classic Marathon and set a new course record of 2:12:40. I’m not sure how long it took Pheidippides to run the same route but I think it’s safe to assume that it took him considerably longer. the Athens Classic Mararthon is on my list of races to do ‘one day’. It finishes in the ‘Ancient’ Olympic stadium (rebuilt more recently as a replica of the original stadium on the same site) which, many years ago, I managed to run one lap of before having to sit down.

While we’re on the subject of notable marathons, the New York Marathon is on Sunday. Speculation suggests that Edison Peña, one of the Chilean miners stuck underground, will take part in the event. Edison apparently ran between three and six miles every day while trapped in the mine listening to Elvis as he ran. Good luck to Edison and to anyone else running the ING New York Marathon.