How the Marathon was Born

By: Prof. Mário Machado

If you go to Athens you should try and see if you can organize a big race from Maratona to the Pnyx. That could give impact to the character of Antiquity… I personally stay with the honour of giving the trophy to the marathon winner’ this was the most important historic part of the letter sent by Michel Bréal on the 15th of September of 1894. With these words was born what is now known as the most famous run of the official calendar of athleticism.

But let’s go back a few months, more precisely the morning of the 23rd of 1894, when in Paris was established the guidelines of the Modern Olympic Games. The event was attended by 78 participants, that represented 9 countries and had the name of Congress of Foundation haven been discussed, even though superficially, the ideals proposed by the baron Pierre de Coubertin. Even though most of the attendees were French, 58 individuals, the majority from aristocracy. However Michel Bréal was not present during the labours he attended the banquet and had the honour of sitting next to Coubertin. After dinner, both talked about the necessity of having an pacifist competition in line with the old Games in antiquity.

But Who Was Bréal?

Born in Landau in 1832, today he recognized as the founder of the Marathon. He passed away in 1915 and his body rests in Paris, at Montparnasse Cemetery.

Bréal was a specialist in Greek and Latin literature, and soon fell in love with the ideals of the Ancient Games and specially the bases that gave life to the legend of the battle of Marathon and the messenger Philipedes that may have passed away after announcing victory for the troupes 2400 years before.

Breal ‘devoured’ everything he found about the story of that soldier and the implications of that battle fought in the plains of Marathon, in the year 492 AC. Impressed by the extraordinary distance he had to run (240Km in a day in a half), he remembered that by existing an modern version of the Game there should also be an long race that symbolized something magnificent, as a bridge between the ancient roots and the new athletic purposes that were being developed. However historic versions proposed by Breal , said that the soldier had ran since the battle in Marathon to the city of Athens, a distance of 40 km. According to Bréal this race lasted for at least part of the day, in order to warn the tropes of an eventual attack by seashore. However these researches were based on stories from 600 years after the real events took place. So there were substantial doubts regarding what really happened specially the number of miles ran by the soldier.

In 1890 with the help of his influence and economical power, Bréal got a team of archaeologists to dig the in the plains of Marathon. They encountered in the area bones of the former athletes as well as several artefacts used during that war.

A long race in Modern Games

At the time Pierre de Coubertin was weaving his idea of the Modern Games, Michel Bréal was also collecting data about the eventual innovation of the long race, in the last day of the first Olympic games trials.

But if its beginning is at the little village of Marathon then there would also be the site if the rest of the other events.

But which distance?

In the original story, 600 years before, it was mentioned that the distance was 40 Km, however it also mentioned 48 Km.

The program of the first Games established a distance of 42 Km but later on the fourth and last day it was changed to 40 Km. Curiously this race had a few rules, ‘the marathon will happen from the region of Kifiassias to the Penethenikon. The distance is 40 Km. The Race starts at 13 hours and each runner will be followed by a judge.’ The winner will be the runner that arrives first at the stadium. Any athlete that disrupts the other runners, shortens the course or uses mobile transportation will be disqualified.

Unexpected Success

Several were the factors that contributed to the success of the Olympic Marathon. First the distance, to the public 40 Km seamed like an impossible accomplishment. Further more, the first athlete to enter the stadium was Greek, and it was the first win after four days to the Greeks.

It’s no wonder that Demetrius Vikelas, President of the Olympic International Committee had sent a telegram to Michél Bréal reporting the race success declaring the Greek Spiridon, the winner. In a way the public success made the other athletes accomplishments less fantastic, even in the 70’s in Portugal people thought that a race so long was extraordinary. Some people even though that it was an inhuman ordeal and something not athletic.

Coubertin also was reluctant to give this event such hype, however in his memoirs ‘The Founding of IOC in 1984’ he wrote a tribute to Michel Bréal and his contribute to the Modern Olympic Games on various levels. In fact he considered Bréal as his adviser of IOC between 1894-1909. The baron Coubertin always regarded himself as the heart of the games and the others just simple workers.

The day of the Marathon….

The Day of a stranger called SPIRIDON

On the 10th of April the bravest runners are ready to conquer the great distance of 40 Km. we do not have a exact number of the participants but it must have been about 18, 19 or 25?

It does not matter, what does matter is that a religious ceremony was held and a deep silence was felt within the audience, because that group of runners was about to challenge the unknown human boundaries. Nowadays specialists of historic journalism claim that a few runners decided not to run after that emotional ceremony.

At precisely 14 hours, the little platoon left, not knowing which one would endure so many kilometres. For the Greek audience it was the honour of their own country that was in stake, because none of their athletes had won any medals during the Olympic Games. This was the last chance of seeing a Greek athlete winning a medal.

Well Louis Spiridon was the first to enter the stadium (2:58,50 – average of 13,420Km/h); his partner Vasilakos arrived 8 minutes later and in third the Hungarian Gyula Kellner 9 minutes later. In the end 9 runners arrived while other quitted or were disqualified. But it did not matter because a Greek had won! And the Marathon became a legendary trial in the Olympic program, regardless a few members of the committee still being sceptic.

Bréal managed all of this, even though a lot of factors contributed to the success of this challenge and also a little bit of luck.

Bréal really did invent the Marathon!

The Cup Given By Bréal It does not matter, what does matter is that a religious ceremony was held and a deep silence was felt d something not atletci

Michel Bréal gave the beautiful silver cup to Spiridon Louis by the King of Greece himself at the end of the historic race. The trophy stayed in the possession of his family and it was auctioned in the 18th of April in 2012, and now belongs to the Stravos Niarchos Foundation.

Taken from ‘The Founder of Marathon’ from Norbert Muller, and ‘Marathon – Grandeurs et Misséres des Marathons Olympiques’ from Raymond Pointu. •••