So if Pheidippides ran 25 miles, give or take, I heard the battery on his Garmin died, how did the marathon become 26.2 miles. There's actually some interesting twists and turns in there. The marathon was re-born at the 1896 Olympics and was won by Spirodon Louis,a Greek. Which was a good thing since the 1st modern Olympics were in 1896 IN Greece and the Greeks hadn't medal-ed yet! In March of 1896 they held a qualifying Olympics where Louis finished 5th. The Olympics were 1 month later - see there is something to pacing and taper...told ya. At the 1908 London Olympics it was decided they would have a marathon of "about 25 miles" beginning at Windsor Castle and finishing in the Olympic stadium. Because of certain logistical problems they re-routed the marathon and it was closer to 26 miles, then they would finish in the stadium. Well, more logistical problems cropped up and Queen Alexandra wanted the race to finish at or go past the Royal Box (King Edward was a big 'fan' of the Royal Box) so as they entered the stadium the runners were routed 'clockwise' rather than the customary counter clockwise and the race totaled out to 42 Kilometers +/-. It remained approximate until 1921 were it was set at 42 kilometers or for you Garmin types, 42.195K which translates into 26 miles 385 yards. There's a whole lot more about this race that a running geek like me loves, Dorando Pietro staggering and collapsing several times before race officials actually carried him across the finish (I know how he felt), where he was ultimately disqualified. However the pictures and news stories of the race captivated the hearts and minds of the world and it became known as the Race of the Century....and now you know the rest of the story (if you know who Paul Harvey was). Boston too had it's quirky traditions, for years it was only 25 miles and it started at noon up until a few years ago simply because of tradition. In hte early days the contestants had to ride the train to the start, so they had to start it at noon. It is a difficult course and everyone has heard of 'Heartbreak Hill', well it's not because it's that tough of a hill. In fact it's the 3rd in a series of hills, 'The Hills of Newton' but THAT'S not the reason either. In 1936 defending champion Johnny Kelly (Sr.) caught up to race leader 'Tarzan' Brown (what a great nick name) and as he did so he kind of patted him on the shoulder (or butt). Well, this p. o.'d Tarzan and he ran Kelly down and went on to win the race "breaking Kelly's heart." (according to the news reports of the day) One of the years I ran Boston it was the 2nd hottest Boston ever and is quite the story in it self, I'll save that. Saw 2 of my favorite 'media' personalities out running together with their future track stars; Brooke and Stephanie who both look amazing as new mothers and runners are living proof that life doesn't end for you as an athlete when you have a child (Meredith too, but she's not a media person - just a superstar). It was also one of the first cooler days and it was welcomed with open arms! Just in time too as marathoners get serious for the Fall and the Fall Session of Running 101 and 102 fire up. I love this time of year, the racing season starts right after Labor Day, football, baseball playoffs.....man oh man it's fun.... No more excuses, we have 5K's the Vulcan Run, and so much more as the leaves turn and the air turns crisp....ahhhh.....