Sports
The Real History of the Marathon and Ancient Olympics
Álvaro José details Pheidippides' true journey and the presence of Olympic champions among the 300 Spartans.
Appearing on the Stemma Podcast, sports journalist Álvaro José debunks the myth of Pheidippides' 40-kilometer run and revisits the roots of the ancient Olympic Games. He delivers a captivating history lesson on how sports and warfare shaped the ancient world.
The classic image of the Greek messenger running roughly 26 miles to announce a victory and dropping dead at his destination is ingrained in popular running lore. However, historical records reveal a physical and strategic feat far more extraordinary. Appearing on the Stemma Podcast, sports commentator and journalist Álvaro José recounted the real facts behind the Battle of Marathon and the pivotal role of the Olympic Games in the ancient world.
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The 40-kilometer myth and the real journey of Pheidippides
The Battle of Marathon took place in 490 BC, when the young Athenian general Miltiades led the troops that defeated the Persian forces. In that context, messenger Pheidippides' mission was far from a brief 40-kilometer sprint. As the historian Herodotus recounts in his classic work, the runner initially set out toward Sparta in the Peloponnese to request reinforcements.
Accounting for the terrain and rough trails of the era—without paved roads—it was a journey of roughly 380 kilometers (235 miles) each way. After completing this monumental round trip, Pheidippides still fought in the ranks under Miltiades, and once the fighting ceased, he undertook the final run to Athens. The desperation of his message had grave stakes: had the Persians prevailed, Athenian women had agreed to commit mass suicide. Upon arriving with news of the Greek victory and shouting the triumph, the messenger finally collapsed, having covered more than 800 kilometers across the entire military campaign.
Nearly 1,200 years of Games and champions at Thermopylae
The Ancient Olympic Games officially began in 776 BC and continued until 394 AD, when they were abolished by Roman Emperor Theodosius. It was nearly twelve uninterrupted centuries of athletic celebration bringing together city-states like Rhodes and Croton—the homeland of legendary wrestler Milo of Croton.
The importance of the Games was so immense that it intertwined directly with the wars of the era. In the famous Battle of Thermopylae in 480 BC, King Leonidas of Sparta carefully handpicked his 300 warriors, giving priority to married men with living sons. Among them, 19 had already been crowned with olive wreaths at Olympia—the highest honor of the time, in an age before medals. Much of the detail of this last stand survived for posterity through Persian scribes, who meticulously recorded their troops' battles.
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