马拉松是如何成为奥运会项目的？

江海连

马拉松是一项极限运动，是耐力与毅力的抗争。但是，你知道为什么把26.2英里作为马拉松赛跑的距离吗？

难词探意

1. distance /?d?st?ns/ n. 距离

2. collapse /k??l?ps/ v. 昏倒

3. ceremony /?ser?m?ni/ n. 典礼;仪式

4. enthusiastic /?n?θju?zi??st?k/ adj. 热情的

5. commemorate /k??mem?re?t/ v. 纪念

6. remarkably /r??mɑ?（r）k?bli/ adv. 非常;出乎意料地

The marathon has a proud history and is steeped（沉浸于） in tradition. History records that in 490 BC， the soldier Pheidippides， covered the distance from a battlefield near Marathon， Greece， to Athens in order to bring the news of a Greek victory over the Persians. At the end of this historical run he collapsed and died from the exertions（努力） of fulfilling his duty.

In 1896 at the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games， the legend of the soldier was honoured with a race from Marathon Bridge to the Olympic stadium in Athens. The run was the final event of the Games and with the Greeks， being the hosts and yet to win a medal， they placed all their hopes on the marathon.

Twenty?five runners lined up on that day， April 10th， 1896， upon Marathon Bridge. The Greek， Spyridon Louis， a postal worker from the village of Marousi， did not disappoint the enthusiastic crowd waiting at the Panathenaic Stadium when he won the 24.85 miles （40，000 meters） in a time of 2 hours 58 minutes 50 seconds. He finished it 7 minutes earlier than the next competitor. With 8 of 9 finishers being Greeks， the country went into wild celebrations.

The marathon as an event was born. The following year on April 18th saw the first running of the， now famous， Boston Athletic Association marathon. The date chosen was to commemorate the famous ride of Paul Revere， remarkably similar in distance to the marathon course as well as the fact that he also carried a message. The 24.7?mile course was from Metcalfes Mill in Ashland， Mass to Bostons Irvingston St. Oval and was completed by 8 of the fifteen starters， with John J. McDermott winning in a time of 2 hours 55 minutes 10 seconds.

For the 1908 London Olympic Games marathon， the distance was changed to 26 miles so that the event could finish in front of the royal box. It took another 16 years before the distance of 26.2 miles was introduced， with the 1924 Paris Olympics being the first to hold the now official marathon distance.

Since those days the marathon has progressed into a dash for the line by the elite athletes with the time taken to complete the distance continually tumbling（骤降）.