Marathon length

The name and length of the marathon recall the exploits of the Greek soldier Filippides, who in 490 BC traveled the 40km that separated the city of Marathon from the acropolis of Athens, to announce to the Athenians the victorious outcome of the battle of Marathon over the Persians. Since 1921 the length of the marathon has been officially set at 42.195 km. Such a running mileage is certainly no small feat, but even more surprising is how some athletes can cover this distance in just over two hours, maintaining an average speed of about 20 km / h. The half marathon is run instead over a distance of 21,097 km. Shorter length, higher performance, given that the best level athletes complete it in just under an hour, maintaining average speeds of about 21.5 km / h.