He ran a marathon and died.
Today, millions run marathons and are fine.
Some do it while wearing T-Rex costumes.
Pheidippides didn’t run a marathon. He ran 260 km over two days and died. A modern marathon is “only” 42.195 km.
You’d probably die as well without training for said marathon, which that poor man didn’t have the luxury of doing.
Oh man, are you selling it short. He was a professional running-courier, so we can assume he was well-seasoned for the activity, BUT
The traditional story relates that Pheidippides (530–490 BC), an Athenian herald, or hemerodrome[3] (translated as ‘day-runner’,[4] ‘courier’,[5][6] ‘professional-running courier’[3] or ‘day-long runner’[7]), was sent to Sparta to request help when the Persians landed at Marathon, Greece. He ran about 240 km (150 mi) in two days, and then ran back. He then ran the 40 km (25 mi) to the battlefield near Marathon and back to Athens to announce the Greek victory over Persia in the Battle of Marathon (490 BC) with the word νικῶμεν (nikomen[8] ‘We win!’), as stated by Lucian chairete, nikomen (‘hail, we are the winners’)[9] and then collapsed and died.
If I’m reading this correctly, he ran 350 miles in around a week or less? That’s insane.
Dude died afterwards, no? Not something I aspire to
But think of the IMMORTAL GLORY you’ll win!
… yeah, I ain’t too big on it either, I’ll take the train.
Funny question! The stories can’t seem to agree. Pheidippides is the most common one, but there are at least a few other names claimed in Classical stories as the REAL name of the runner.
I think he walked in, said the message, and died right there just like in a movie.
This is silly. Those muscles are no good for running. Those are lifting muscles. A runner should be lean and efficient. Those muscles are too heavy.
Explanation: According to Classical-era stories (believed to be just a legend nowadays, due to contemporary accounts of the battle not recording it), after the Greeks defeated the Persians in the Battle of Marathon, a Greek courier, who had just ran 150 miles over the previous 2 days, sprinted another 25 miles to deliver news of the victory to Athens, bursting into the assembly and crying out “We have won!” before collapsing, dead.
Good one to keep in mind on long jogs, huh?
He had previously ran to ask the Spartans for help on the battle but they wouldn’t leave until after some festival or something.
So, he then ran to the battle, fought, then ran back to Athens to tell everyone because a ship had slipped past the battle on its way to Athens and if it got back before their army the enemy would just say they won and sack Athens.
The Guy is a machine.
His full adventure inspired the ultramarathon The spartathalon
Arnold is/was definitely not an actual marathon runner, even if he was the Marathon Man.
