The Boston Marathons bill’s itself as ‘The World’s Oldest Marathon.’ The 1896 Olympic marathon distance of 24.8 miles was based on the distance run, according to famous Greek legend.
The marathon distance was later changed as a result of the 1908 Olympic Games in London. That year, King Edward VII and Queen Alexandria wanted the marathon race to begin at Windsor Castle outside the city so that the Royal family could view the start. The distance between the castle and the Olympic Stadium in London proved to be 26 miles. Organizers added extra yards to the finish around a track, 385 to be exact, so the runners would finish in front of the king and queen’s royal box.
Every Olympic marathon run since the 1908 Games has been a distance of 26 miles, 385 yards.
I don’t know how he managed to do it, but my brother-in-law, Steve finished the race with a time of 3:42:50 finishing 11081 in his division. That is an average speed of 8:30 per mile. This includes heartbreak hill where many a marathoner has dropped out because it is about 2/3 into the run.
Congratulations Steve on finishing in the upper half of your division!
Here are my 659 Photos from the Boston Marathon.