His run to seek help in the battle would not only be in vain but fatal as well. He would not feature in the list of heroes in that legendary battle. The battle itself would be forgotten. However, 2,500 years after the event, people would still try to emulate his feat.
It all happened in 490 BCE when Persia, the then-superpower in the ancient world, landed on Greek soil to gobble Athens up. Athens was just one of the city states that comprised Greece. Though tiny, it refused Persian overtures of subjugation. So it was time to teach Athens a lesson.
On the broad beach of Marathon, 22 miles by land from Athens, that the Persians landed. Instead of being awed by the mighty Persian force, the Athenians marched to Marathon to meet their foe.
The Athenians had about 11,000 men, of whom 10,000 were hoplite soldiers, who fought with shields, spears, and swords. It was nothing compared to the mighty enemy facing them. The Persians did not attack immediately. Taking advantage of the deadlock, the Athenian general Miltiades decided to ask for help from their then ally, Sparta. According to the historian Herodotus, the Athenians summoned a runner, Pheidippides, to run from Marathon to Sparta with a request to send their force to the battlefield.
Running, as a sport, was very common in those days. They were more effective than horses in the rocky terrain. For Pheidippides, it was a run against time. He ran 150 miles in that difficult land to reach Sparta in just two days.
Fitness, bravery, and war were the hallmarks of the Spartans. They were equally dedicated to their gods and games. When Pheidippides arrived, the Spartans were having a religious festival, probably dedicated to Apollo. It was considered a sacrilege to go to war when a religious festival or a game was on.
The Spartans promised help, but only after the festival was over. Pheidippides realised that it would be too late by then. Dejected, Pheidippides immediately turned to run all his way back to Marathon, where the action was happening.
He was in for a pleasant surprise at the battlefield. Beating all odds, the Athenians had won a spectacular victory at Marathon. The Persians lost about 6,500 men compared to the Greeks, whose casualties were just 192. It was all thanks to the brilliant strategy of Miltiades. The danger, however, was not yet over. While the war was on, the overconfident Persian, General Datis, had secretly sent a part of his troops by sea from Marathon to Athens for a double whammy. Luckily, Miltiades and his men got tidings of the detour. He sent Pheidippides again to run to Athens to give news of their victory and also warn against the impending attack. Pheidippides obliged again. However, this time immediately after giving the news, he fell dead out of exhaustion.
The Persians would lose at Athens as well. In fact, they would never win against the Greeks again. All would be forgotten though, except one of their Panhellenic games, the Olympics. Apart from the Olympics, the Greeks hosted three other games: the Pythian Games in honour of Apollo, the Nemean Games in honour of Zeus and Heracles, and the Isthmian Games in honour of Poseidon.
In 1896, it was decided to restart one of the four Panhellenic games at Athens. It was Michel Breal who suggested to Olympics founder Pierre de Coubertin to have a particularly long race to honour the legendary runner for his thankless endeavour. Instead of the tongue-twisting, Pheidippides had a catchy name for the event, ‘Marathon’. It was an instant hit.
Participants followed Pheidippides’ footsteps when they ran from the very battle spot to the Panathenaic Stadium in Athens in the first modern Olympics in 1896. It was a 25-mile run, which has been standardised to 26 miles and 385 yards. The tradition was broken in 2004 to follow Pheidippides when Athens hosted the Olympics again.
The spectacular victory of the Athenians is no longer remembered. Thanks to the Olympics, Pheidippides’ achievement remains fresh in memory. Marathon has become synonymous with something big, just like what Pheidippides did for his fellow men.
The writer is an independent contributor