INTRODUCTION
One of the decisive battles of the world was fought in year 490 B. C. Miltiades, a Greek general, commanding an army of but 11,000 men, defeated the Persians, numbering over 100,000. The conflict took place on the Marathon plain. After the battle a soldier was dispatched to carry the news of victory to Athens, a distance of 40 kilometers (24.85 miles). As he reached his destination, having run without stopping, and as he emitted the words, "Victory is ours," he fell dead.In 1896 the Grecian government established the course covered by this unknown soldier as an official event of the Olympic games. America was not especially interested in this until an American youth, in 1908, won the race. Since then it has become popular on this continent; it has, in fact, become almost a craze with the American boys to train for and compete in these