The Washington herald., 1909-08-29

The Marathon race-Eou have heard
the expression. It was won, as every
one ought 10 be aware, by plucky
young fellow from the city Of New York.
and when ne came back from England.
together with the other successful con-
testants in the great athletic games,
he was received with such an ovation
as had never before. in this scountry at
least. been offered TO a hero OF peace
DO you know why the Marathon race
bears that name? Do you know what
the Marathon race Is?
The Marathon race is simply one event
IN the modern olympic games which
were established I'm 1895 by the Interna-
uonal Athletic Association at the sug-
gestion OF she enthusiastic and public
spirited young French Baron Pierre de
Coubertin. and were celebrated for the
first time at Athens the following year.
sThe olympic games Of antiquity. OF
which these contemporary contests are a
worthy imitation and successor, began
so tar back that their origin is lost in
The iQist OF time. They became the
principal festival for al Greece. and as
they took place every four years. the
date OF Vhis gathering was used 20 the
measure of time from the year'77s =. C.,
when the. Elian Corcebus won the foot
race.
The games were held on the plain
OF Olypmla IN Ellis. and all men OF
pure Greek stock. no matter whether
they were rich, or poor. were eligible 20
take part The richest and ablest OF
the country were proud 10 enter the lists.
and the victors. though rewarded with
only an olive wreath by the judges.
were received by their native cities with
every demonstration OF honor; were
greeted with triumphal prOcess1Ons: were
celebrated in hymns by the greatest
poets. who recited the glorious contests.
and were often rewarded with special
privileges Places OF honor were granted
them IN public assemblies; statues were
erected 10 their memory; in Athens they
were pcnsioned for the rest OF their days.
At first only foot racing filed the pro-
.Rranme, but gradually the number OF
evs.ts were increased TO tweray-four.
and enlisted the most celebrated wrest-
lers. boxers. discus throwers, and racers
Of horses and mules and. chariots from,
all parts OF The Grecian world. Bar
barians were allowed TO be spectators.
but no women were ever present. The
festival bore a religious character and
ended with solemn ceremonies. Many
temples were built on the plain and
Gedicated 20 the Gods Of Greece; that Of
Zeus was one Of the most splendid; II
81 contained the famous colonial statue,
OF Phidias. All the states of the penin-
sula contributed great sums of money
and the treasury Overfowed with wealth.
AS the quadrenniaI festivals under the
auspices oe the international Athletic
r1a q ha nat
of those ancient Greek games. and the
first were given In Athens. II was apprO-
pirate enough 10 call them by the same
name. though they were to be held In
successive periods IN different countries
The second took place in Paris at the
time Of the exposition of 1900. The
third came of at St Louis in 1904. and
the fourth, which brought together more
than two thousand contestants and, not
less than three million spectators. twas
held at London IN August.
The principal event at each OF these
great athletic festivals vas q long-dis-
tance race which was intended TO cover
about forty kilometers or twenty-five
miles: roughly the distance from Athens
TO the scene OF the great battlefield OF
Marathon.
The name Of the Marathon race seems
10 take US back almost five centuries
before the Christian era--to the year 400
?. c.. when a vast host Of Persians
invaded Greece and threatened 10 de-
vasta,e the land. One great city had
already been sacked by the horde OF
barbarians. Athens stood almost alone.
At this crisis an Athenian named
Fheidippides or Philippides, by profess
sion and practice a trained runner" was
dispatched hy the ten generals 70 ask aid
OF their fellow -ccuutryulen. me Spartans.
Pheidppides left Athens on the seventh
day of the moon and reached Sparta on
the ninth. II took him two days 20 cover
the same road IN returning he was in
ATHENS again on the eleventh. The dis
tance from Athens to Sparta was a little
more than LOO stades. He therefore
must have run go or 2s0 miles.
It Is certainly a charming story. One
can easily conjure up a vivid picture
of the solitary Athenlan courier, 1.-THE
and slender his limbs unincumbered so
that every muscle should have full play
darting away through the thrOng Of
anxious citizens gathered to see him or
and then speeding at an unbroken gsit
across the dividing mountains, hour after
hour. scarcely pausing more than TO slake
his thirst az some fountain dedicated 10
a friendly nymph.
He could not have run with bare feet:
he must have worn some kind Of pre-
.tecting sandals which would break the
shock Of footballs encountering ledge and
rock. But he was a trained runner, and
after he had once got his wind, as the
saying goes. there would be little cause
to slack his speed.
He must have reached Sparta in good
condition, for when he eot their disap-
pointing answer that showed how little
the threatened danger impressed these
dull-minded allies. he turned back again
Immediately and made the return tourney
with equal ceierity. even allowing that he
was detained by his encounter with the
goat-legged divinity.
The Marathon race was feature OF the
fourth series OF Olympic games which
took place IN July. near London. At all
the sports, especially at jumping ard
sprintng, the American contestants COW
cred themselves with glory But IT was
unfortunate that through a quite IN
necessary controversy the 400 meter race
which was called void by the judges
should have clouded the general serenity
OF the competitions.
The course for the Marathon run was
laid out from the terrace OF Windsor
Castle TO the Stadium. an immense tenn
p0rary amphitheater at Shepherds Bush
a distance of twenty-six miles and three
hundred and eighty-fve yards, Including
q half lap around the Stadium. The con-
tcstants had TO thread winding NIddlesex
lanes bounded by hedgerows and for the
most part quite level-a complete contrast
70 the Athenian conditions. The weather
on Friday. August ~ when the race was
o- ft~.1r. f...t