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Marathon
at the Olympic Games
Burton Holmes' photograph entitled 1896: Three athletes in training for the marathon at the Olympic Games in Athens
Overview
Sport Athletics
GenderMen and women
Years heldMen: 18962020
Women: 19842020
Olympic record
Men2:06:32 Samuel Wanjiru (2008)
Women2:23:07 Tiki Gelana (2012)
Reigning champion
Men  Eliud Kipchoge ( KEN)
Women  Peres Jepchirchir ( KEN)

The marathon at the Summer Olympics is the only road running event held at the multi-sport event. The men's marathon has been present on the Olympic athletics programme since the first modern Olympics in 1896. Nearly ninety years later, the women's event was added to the programme at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles.

History

The modern marathon event was created and later refined through the Olympic competition. The idea of holding a marathon race at the first Olympics was suggested to Pierre de Coubertin by Michel Bréal. Based upon a popular myth stemming from the Battle of Marathon, in which Pheidippides ran to Athens from the town of Marathon, Greece to carry the message of a Greek victory, the 1896 course began in the town of Marathon and finished in Athens' Panathenaic Stadium – a distance of around 40 kilometres (25 mi). [1] On April 10, 1896, Greek water-carrier Spyridon Louis won the first Olympic marathon in 2 hours 58 minutes and 50 seconds. The route between Marathon and Panathenaic Stadium was repeated when Athens hosted the 2004 Games.

The race distance varied from 40 to 42 kilometres (25 to 26 mi) in the early editions as it was typically based upon the distance between two points that the organisers felt were suitable. The 1908 London Olympics marked the introduction of the now standard distance of 26 miles, 385 yards (42.195 km). [2] However, it was not until the 1924 Paris Olympics that this distance became the standard at the Olympics. [3]

The Olympic marathon proved immediately popular in the Western world and quickly spawned numerous long-running annual races, including the Boston Marathon in 1897, the Tour de Paris Marathon in 1902, the Yonkers Marathon in 1907, and the London Polytechnic Marathon in 1909. Such marathons played a key role in the expansion of the road running movement internationally over the course of the 20th century. [4] [5]

It has become a tradition for the men's Olympic marathon to be the last event of the athletics calendar, on the final day of the Olympics. [6] For many years since the 1964 Tokyo Games, the race finished inside the Olympic stadium; however, at the 2004 Athens games, the finish was at the historic Panathenaic Stadium, at the 2012 London games, the start and finish were on The Mall, [7] and at the 2016 Rio games, the start and finish were in the Sambadrome Marquês de Sapucaí, the parade area that serves as a spectator mall for Carnival. [8] At the 2020 Tokyo games, the marathon was instead held in Sapporo due to heat concerns in the host city. [9] Often, the men's marathon medals are awarded at the closing ceremony. In 2020, both the men's and women's medals were presented.

The Olympic records for the event are 2:06:32 hours for men, set by Samuel Wanjiru in 2008, and 2:23:07 hours for women, set by Tiki Gelana in 2012. The men's marathon world record has been improved several times at the Olympics: in 1908, 1920, and then at successive Olympics by Abebe Bikila in 1960 and 1964. [10] Abebe Bikila, Waldemar Cierpinski, and Eliud Kipchoge are the only athletes to have won two Olympic gold medals in the marathon. No athlete has won more than two medals of any colour. Ethiopia have won the most gold medals in the event, with six, while Kenya has the greatest medal total with fifteen overall.

Medal summary

Men

Games Gold Silver Bronze
1896 Athens
details
Spyridon Louis
  Greece
Charilaos Vasilakos
  Greece
Gyula Kellner
  Hungary
1900 Paris
details
Michel Théato
  France [11] [12]
Émile Champion
  France
Ernst Fast
  Sweden
1904 St. Louis
details
Thomas Hicks
  United States
Albert Corey
  France [13] [14]
Arthur Newton
  United States
1908 London
details
Johnny Hayes
  United States
Charles Hefferon
  South Africa
Joseph Forshaw
  United States
1912 Stockholm
details
Ken McArthur
  South Africa
Christian Gitsham
  South Africa
Gaston Strobino
  United States
1920 Antwerp
details
Hannes Kolehmainen
  Finland
Jüri Lossmann
  Estonia
Valerio Arri
  Italy
1924 Paris
details
Albin Stenroos
  Finland
Romeo Bertini
  Italy
Clarence DeMar
  United States
1928 Amsterdam
details
Boughera El Ouafi
  France
Manuel Plaza
  Chile
Martti Marttelin
  Finland
1932 Los Angeles
details
Juan Carlos Zabala
  Argentina
Sam Ferris
  Great Britain
Armas Toivonen
  Finland
1936 Berlin
details
Sohn Kee-chung
  Japan [15]
Ernest Harper
  Great Britain
Nam Sung-yong
  Japan [15]
1948 London
details
Delfo Cabrera
  Argentina
Tom Richards
  Great Britain
Étienne Gailly
  Belgium
1952 Helsinki
details
Emil Zátopek
  Czechoslovakia
Reinaldo Gorno
  Argentina
Gustaf Jansson
  Sweden
1956 Melbourne
details
Alain Mimoun
  France
Franjo Mihalić
  Yugoslavia
Veikko Karvonen
  Finland
1960 Rome
details
Abebe Bikila
  Ethiopia
Rhadi Ben Abdesselam
  Morocco
Barry Magee
  New Zealand
1964 Tokyo
details
Abebe Bikila
  Ethiopia
Basil Heatley
  Great Britain
Kokichi Tsuburaya
  Japan
1968 Mexico City
details
Mamo Wolde
  Ethiopia
Kenji Kimihara
  Japan
Mike Ryan
  New Zealand
1972 Munich
details
Frank Shorter
  United States
Karel Lismont
  Belgium
Mamo Wolde
  Ethiopia
1976 Montreal
details
Waldemar Cierpinski
  East Germany
Frank Shorter
  United States
Karel Lismont
  Belgium
1980 Moscow
details
Waldemar Cierpinski
  East Germany
Gerard Nijboer
  Netherlands
Satymkul Dzhumanazarov
  Soviet Union
1984 Los Angeles
details
Carlos Lopes
  Portugal
John Treacy
  Ireland
Charlie Spedding
  Great Britain
1988 Seoul
details
Gelindo Bordin
  Italy
Douglas Wakiihuri
  Kenya
Ahmed Salah
  Djibouti
1992 Barcelona
details
Hwang Young-cho
  South Korea
Koichi Morishita
  Japan
Stephan Freigang
  Germany
1996 Atlanta
details
Josia Thugwane
  South Africa
Lee Bong-ju
  South Korea
Erick Wainaina
  Kenya
2000 Sydney
details
Gezahegne Abera
  Ethiopia
Erick Wainaina
  Kenya
Tesfaye Tola
  Ethiopia
2004 Athens
details
Stefano Baldini
  Italy
Mebrahtom Keflezighi
  United States
Vanderlei de Lima
  Brazil
2008 Beijing
details
Samuel Wanjiru
  Kenya
Jaouad Gharib
  Morocco
Tsegay Kebede
  Ethiopia
2012 London
details
Stephen Kiprotich
  Uganda
Abel Kirui
  Kenya
Wilson Kipsang Kiprotich
  Kenya
2016 Rio de Janeiro
details
Eliud Kipchoge
  Kenya
Feyisa Lelisa
  Ethiopia
Galen Rupp
  United States
2020 Tokyo
details
Eliud Kipchoge
  Kenya
Abdi Nageeye
  Netherlands
Bashir Abdi
  Belgium
2024 Paris
details

Multiple medalists

Rank Athlete Nation Olympics Gold Silver Bronze Total
1= Abebe Bikila   Ethiopia (ETH) 1960–1964 2 0 0 2
1= Waldemar Cierpinski   East Germany (GDR) 1976–1980 2 0 0 2
1= Eliud Kipchoge   Kenya (KEN) 2016–2020 2 0 0 2
4 Frank Shorter   United States (USA) 1972–1976 1 1 0 2
5 Mamo Wolde   Ethiopia (ETH) 1968–1972 1 0 1 2
6= Karel Lismont   Belgium (BEL) 1972–1976 0 1 1 2
6= Erick Wainaina   Kenya (KEN) 1996–2000 0 1 1 2

Medals by country

Map of countries' best results – Men's Marathon
As of the 2020 Olympics
RankNationGoldSilverBronzeTotal
1  France (FRA)4206
2  Ethiopia (ETH)4138
3  Kenya (KEN)3328
4  United States (USA)32510
5  South Africa (RSA)2204
6  Italy (ITA)2114
7  Argentina (ARG)2103
8  Finland (FIN)2035
9  East Germany (GDR)2002
10  Japan (JPN)1225
11  Greece (GRE)1102
  South Korea (KOR)1102
13  Czechoslovakia (TCH)1001
  Portugal (POR)1001
  Uganda (UGA)1001
16  Great Britain (GBR)0415
17  Morocco (MAR)0202
  Netherlands (NED)0202
19  Belgium (BEL)0134
20  Chile (CHI)0101
  Estonia (EST)0101
  Ireland (IRL)0101
  Yugoslavia (YUG)0101
24  New Zealand (NZL)0022
  Sweden (SWE)0022
26  Brazil (BRA)0011
  Djibouti (DJI)0011
  Germany (GER)0011
  Hungary (HUN)0011
  Soviet Union (URS)0011
Totals (30 entries)30292988

Women

Games Gold Silver Bronze
1984 Los Angeles
details
Joan Benoit
  United States
Grete Waitz
  Norway
Rosa Mota
  Portugal
1988 Seoul
details
Rosa Mota
  Portugal
Lisa Martin
  Australia
Katrin Dörre
  East Germany
1992 Barcelona
details
Valentina Yegorova
  Unified Team
Yuko Arimori
  Japan
Lorraine Moller
  New Zealand
1996 Atlanta
details
Fatuma Roba
  Ethiopia
Valentina Yegorova
  Russia
Yuko Arimori
  Japan
2000 Sydney
details
Naoko Takahashi
  Japan
Lidia Șimon
  Romania
Joyce Chepchumba
  Kenya
2004 Athens
details
Mizuki Noguchi
  Japan
Catherine Ndereba
  Kenya
Deena Kastor
  United States
2008 Beijing
details
Constantina Tomescu
  Romania
Catherine Ndereba
  Kenya
Zhou Chunxiu
  China
2012 London
details
Tiki Gelana
  Ethiopia
Priscah Jeptoo
  Kenya
Tatyana Petrova Arkhipova
  Russia
2016 Rio de Janeiro
details
Jemima Sumgong
  Kenya
Eunice Kirwa
  Bahrain
Mare Dibaba
  Ethiopia
2020 Tokyo
details
Peres Jepchirchir
  Kenya
Brigid Kosgei
  Kenya
Molly Seidel
  United States
2024 Paris
details

Multiple medalists

Rank Athlete Nation Olympics Gold Silver Bronze Total
1 Valentina Yegorova   Unified Team (EUN)
  Russia (RUS)
1992–1996 1 1 0 2
2 Rosa Mota   Portugal (POR) 1984–1988 1 0 1 2
3 Catherine Ndereba   Kenya (KEN) 2004–2008 0 2 0 2
4 Yuko Arimori   Japan (JPN) 1992–1996 0 1 1 2

Medals by country

Map of countries' best results – Women's Marathon
As of the 2020 Olympics
RankNationGoldSilverBronzeTotal
1  Kenya (KEN)2417
2  Japan (JPN)2114
3  Ethiopia (ETH)2013
4  Romania (ROM)1102
5  United States (USA)1023
6  Portugal (POR)1012
7  Unified Team (EUN)1001
8  Russia (RUS)0112
9  Australia (AUS)0101
  Bahrain (BRN)0101
  Norway (NOR)0101
12  China (CHN)0011
  East Germany (GDR)0011
  New Zealand (NZL)0011
Totals (14 entries)10101030

Intercalated Games

The 1906 Intercalated Games were held in Athens and at the time were officially recognised as part of the Olympic Games series, with the intention being to hold a games in Greece in two-year intervals between the internationally held Olympics. However, this plan never came to fruition and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) later decided not to recognise these games as part of the official Olympic series. Some sports historians continue to treat the results of these games as part of the Olympic canon. [16]

At this event a men's marathon was held over 41.86 km and Canada's Billy Sherring won the competition. John Svanberg, the runner-up in the 1906 5-mile race, was also runner-up in the marathon. American William Frank was the bronze medalist. [17]

Games Gold Silver Bronze
1906 Athens
details
  Billy Sherring ( CAN)   John Svanberg ( SWE)   William Frank ( USA)

References

Participation and athlete data
Olympic record progressions
Specific
  1. ^ Athletics at the 1896 Athina Summer Games: Men's Marathon. Sports Reference. Retrieved on 2014-03-12.
  2. ^ Athletics at the 1908 London Summer Games: Men's Marathon. Sports Reference. Retrieved on 2014-03-12.
  3. ^ Athletics at the 1924 Paris Summer Games: Men's Marathon. Sports Reference. Retrieved on 2014-03-12.
  4. ^ Longest Running Marathons. Association of Road Racing Statisticians. Retrieved on 2014-03-12.
  5. ^ Lovett, Charlie (1997). Prologue: The Legend. Marathon Guide. Retrieved on 2014-03-12.
  6. ^ "Marathon Race". Marathon Run Museum. Archived from the original on 22 August 2016. Retrieved 21 August 2016.
  7. ^ "Mapping out the London Olympic Marathon course". The AZ Blog. 31 July 2012. Retrieved 21 August 2016.
  8. ^ "Visualizing the Rio Olympic Marathon Course". Runner's World. 5 August 2016. Retrieved 21 August 2016.
  9. ^ INC, SANKEI DIGITAL (2021-08-08). "大迫、服部は先頭集団 男子マラソン5キロ通過". 産経ニュース (in Japanese). Retrieved 2021-08-08.
  10. ^ Butler, Mark, ed. (2011). 13th IAAF World Championships In Athletics: IAAF Statistics Handbook. Daegu 2011 (PDF). Monaco: IAAF Media & Public Relations Department. pp. 595, 612, 614–615, 705, 707. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 18, 2012. Retrieved September 28, 2011.
  11. ^ Sometimes listed as representing Luxembourg.
  12. ^ "Paris 1900 marathon men Results - Olympic athletics". olympics.com. IOC. Retrieved 21 March 2024.
  13. ^ Arriving without correct documents, a French immigrant to the United States Albert Corey is inconsistently listed as performing in a mixed team in the four mile team race (with four undisputed Americans) and performing for the US in the marathon. Currently, the IOC attributes his medal in the marathon to France and in the team race to a mixed team.
  14. ^ "St. Louis 1904 Athletics Marathon Men Results". International Olympic Committee. Retrieved 2022-01-31.
  15. ^ a b Both Sohn Kee-chung and Nam Sung-yong were from Korea. The IOC attributes both medals to Japan due to Korea being a Japanese colony at the time. All Korean Olympians during the Japanese colonial rule could only participate in the games as a representative of Japan and had to compete with Japanese names instead of their original Korean names. However, some sources still refer to Son Kee-chung as the first Korean to win an Olympic marathon today.
  16. ^ 1906 Athina Summer Games. Sports Reference. Retrieved on 2014-01-26.
  17. ^ Athletics at the 1906 Athina Summer Games: Men's Marathon. Sports Reference. Retrieved on 2014-03-12.

External links