Philippides is credited with giving theMarathon its name. Greek soldier and messenger, Pheidippides raced 26 miles from Marathon to Athens to announce that the Persians had been defeated. This resulted in his death due to exhaustion after sprinting 150 kilometers back to Sparta the previous day.
Neither the host city of Tokyo nor the Olympic Stadium will be featured in the Olympic marathon route that will showcase the world’s finest women and men. An empty roadway in a location 500 kilometers away will be used for the race’s pinwheel route. However, organizers have responded to the expectations placed on them by higher powers and developed a memorable course.
A cornerstone of the contemporary Olympics, the men’s marathon has been around since 1896, but women weren’t allowed to compete in the 26.2-mile event until the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. As a result, both the men’s and women’s races are now among the most anticipated events on the Olympic calendar.
When is the Olympic marathon 2021?
Athletes run along Westminster Bridge at the London 2012 Olympic Games. (Getty)
The Olympic marathon 2021 is set totake place at the conclusion of the Tokyo’s Summer Olympics. Sapporo was chosen over Tokyo because of the city’s oppressive summer heat. It may not matter much to the participants since Sapporo is expected to reach an unusually high +30 degrees Celsius in the following days.
Sapporo’s Odori Park hosts the men’s marathon on Sunday, August 8, the last day of the games. A day earlier, on Saturday, August 7, the women’s race takes place. Both races will begin at7:00AM (ET), but the men’s race is scheduled to end at 9:45 AM (ET), while the women’s race is expected to end at10:15 AM (ET).
Unexpectedly in July, organizers announced that they would not be allowing spectators on the route. Local authorities and the police have taken steps to limit the possibility of coronavirusspreading across the community. However, spectators have subsequently been prohibited from all events in Tokyo.
