Marathon was first started to honour the fabled run of Greek messenger, Pheidippides, who was sent from Marathon to Athens to announce Greece’s victory over Persia, in the Battle of Marathon. According to myth, Pheidippides ran the entire distance without stopping and eventually after declaring the news, he collapsed and died.
Thus the drive of a marathon is to unify a dynamic force, a challenge within oneself to run that extra mile and to test one’s limits to the fullest. It’s this self-punishing attitude that works as a driving force for almost all marathon runners.
Marathons bring together the enthusiasm of people from all around the world. The race event infuses among people a sense of brotherhood, where people from all aspects of life come together for a common cause, to push their own limits and collectively boost each other. There is nothing that is more inspirational than to witness these marathons with our own eyes.
Here are the top 5 marathons in the world. These 5 are about so much more than just the race themselves.
#5 Tokyo Marathon
The Tokyo Marathon, which is sponsored by Tokyo Metro is an IAAF Gold Label marathon and one of the six World Marathon Majors. It is the only marathon in Japan that includes both the elite and mass participation categories. Through its motto, "The Day We Unite," the Tokyo road-race brings together runners, volunteers, and spectators on race day.
The first Tokyo Marathon was held on 18 February 2007. However, years prior to that, Tokyo Marathon actually consisted of two marathons, the Tokyo International Marathon and Tokyo - New York Friendship International Marathon.
In the inaugural year, 1981, both marathons took place. However, because it was not possible to support two marathons in the same city, from 1982, the alternating format went into effect.
The current course record in men’s is held by Dickson Chumba of Kenya who registered a time of 2:05:42 in 2014. Helah Kiprop, who also hail from Kenya tops the women’s leaderboard with a time of 2:21:27. Masakazu Fujiwara is the only Japanese male to have won the marathon in 2010.
#4 Chicago Marathon
The Chicago Marathon is an annual event in Chicago, Illinois, and also one of the six World Marathon Majors. Affiliated with the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), the Chicago Marathon is the fourth-largest race by the number of finishers worldwide. The road race is limited to 45,000 runners and only runners who finish the circuit within 6½ hours are officially timed.
The first Chicago Marathon was run on September 23, 1905. However, in 1987 only a half-marathon was run. It is among the growing marathon road races in the world since its fast and flat course facilitates the pursuit of personal records and world record performances.
World records have been broken 4 times at Chicago. In 1984, Steve Jones broke the world record with a timing of 2:08:05. In 1999, Khalid Khannouchi from Morocco surpassed Jones’ record clocking 2:05:42.
The women's record, on the other hand, was broken in two consecutive years. In 2001, Catherine Ndereba from Kenya broke the record in 2:18:47, and very soon, the next year Paula Radcliffe surpassed that mark with 2:17:18.
Radcliffe's world record is also the course record; while the men's record is 2:03:45, set in 2013 by Dennis Kimetto.
#3 London Marathon
London Marathon was first initiated by former Olympic champion and journalist Chris Brasher and athlete John Disley. It is conducted in spring of every year. The first London Marathon which was held on 29 March 1981 witnessed more than 20,000 entrants of which only 6,747 were accepted and 6,255 succeeded in crossing the finish line.
However, the London marathon was not the first running event held in the city. The Polytechnic Marathon was the first road race to be held in 1909. For many years both the road races were conducted together until, in 1996, when London marathon overpowered the former due to its increasing popularity.
The course circles River Thames, as it begins at three separate points around Blackheath and finishes in The Mall alongside St. James’s Park. Since the induction, the marathon course has also undergone a few route changes. The finishing post was first moved in 1982, from Constitution Hill to Westminster Bridge due to construction works. The finish line prevailed there for twelve years before moving to its present location at The Mall.
The event also holds the Guinness world record as the largest annual fundraising event in the world. The marathon has raised over £450 million for charity since 1981. In 2009, participants raised over £47.2 million.
#2 Boston Marathon
Hosted by the cities in greater Boston in eastern Massachusetts, the Boston Marathon was started in 1897. It has been in existence for 117 years, making it the longest running marathon in history. The Boston Marathon was first run in April 1897, inspired by the success of marathon in 1896 Summer Olympics, in Athens. It is always held on Patriots' Day, the third Monday of April.
Considered to be one of the most difficult marathon courses, the circuit runs through the centre of Boston, where the official finish line is located at Copley Square, alongside the Boston Public Library.
The age old marathon, however, has witnessed a lot of mishaps. From scandals to deaths, the event has seen it all.
Rosie Ruiz, an amateur runner, sparked an insane scandal in 1980 when she came out of nowhere to win the women's race. After a review by officials, it was discovered Ruiz did not appear in race videotapes until near the end of the race. Ruiz skipped most of the race and mingled into the crowd about one mile from the finish line. Ruiz was later disqualified, and Canadian runner Jacqueline Gareau was declared the winner.
In 2002, a 28-year-old runner, Cynthia Lucero died of hyponatremia. She died due to excessive drinking or water intoxication, a condition which is caused by stress hormones.
The Boston Marathon has also been a victim of mass bombings. On April 15, 2013, the marathon witnessed two bombings, just 225 yards away from the course. 3 spectators were killed and an estimated 264 were injured in the Boston Marathon massacre. The race had to be stopped, preventing many from finishing. Entrants who completed half the course but weren’t able to finish due to the bombing were given an automatic entry in 2014.
In 2015, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, one of the perpetrators of the bombing, was found guilty of 30 federal offences related to the attack and was sentenced to death.
#1 Berlin Marathon
The Berlin Marathon in Germany is the largest marathon conducted in the world. Held in the final week of September, the city-wide road race was first initiated in 1974. In 2016, the race recorded 46,950 entrants from 122 countries and more than a million spectators. The marathon weekend which takes place over 2 days, is currently sponsored by BMW.
The course starts and finishes near the Brandenburg Gate. Due to the presence of Berlin Wall, the marathon events before 1990 were restricted to West Berlin. Only after 30 September 1990, the athletes were able to run through the Brandenburg Gate, as the unified city witnessed its first consolidated race.
The race starts and finishes at the iconic Brandenburg Gate. The course passes through Charlottenburg, and then south to Friedrichshain. Looping above Schoenberg the course completes a full circle as it finishes through the Gate.
Dennis Kipruto Kimetto from Kenya holds the current world record for clocking the fastest time at Berlin at 2:02:57 in 2014. In women’s category, the record is held by 38-year-old Japanese runner Mizuki Noguchi. Noguchi clocked a time of 2:19:12 in 2005.
