How long is a marathon?
A marathon is 42.195 kilometers, or 26.2 miles. The distance was standardized in 1921, based on the course of the 1908 London Olympics.
The race is named after a legend from ancient Greece. A messenger named Pheidippides is said to have run from the battlefield of Marathon to Athens, about 40 kilometers, to announce a victory over the Persians, and then collapsed. The first Olympic marathon, in Athens in 1896, followed a route of about 40 kilometers.
At the 1908 London Olympics, the course was planned to start at Windsor Castle and finish in front of the royal box in the stadium, which made it 26 miles and 385 yards, or 42.195 kilometers. That distance was adopted as the official standard in 1921.
Records and famous races
The men's world record is 2:00:35, set by Kelvin Kiptum of Kenya in Chicago in 2023. The six World Marathon Majors are Tokyo, Boston, London, Berlin, Chicago and New York, and Sydney joined the series in 2025.
Did You Know?
Races longer than a marathon are called ultramarathons. The Comrades Marathon in South Africa, about 90 kilometers, is one of the oldest and largest, first held in 1921.