These Are The 4 Leadest Marathon Events In The World, From Boston To London

Illustration of marathon running (wal_172619/Pixabay)

YOGYAKARTA Run a marathon is one of the prestigious sporting events held regularly every year in various parts of the world, including Indonesia. The first marathon race was held at the beginning of the modern Olympic era in 1896 with a distance of 40 kilometers or about 25 miles. So, what is the oldest marathon event in the world?

Compiled by VOI from various sources, here are the three oldest marathon events in the world which are still being held today.

The Boston Marathon was first held on April 19, 1897, to coincide with Patriot Day. At that time, this event was attended by only 15 runners. Well, John McDermott, a runner from New York, became the first runner to win the Boston Marathon.

The oldest marathon event in the world is able to attract the attention of 500,000 spectators. This figure is reportedly equivalent to 80 percent of Boston's population, quoted from ESPN.

The Boston Marathon is said to have the toughest running routes in the world. The incline route starts from Newton Hill and is completed on Heartbreak Hill. The hill is located at kilometer 32-34 after the start. Hence, there are many runners who are struggling to get to this point.

This event was first held on September 23, 1905. When it was first held, the number of runners who took part in the Chicago Marathon was only 12 people. However, only seven people were able to touch the finish line.

In its first event, the Chicago Marathon took a route from the Evanston Golf Club and ended in front of the Washington Park Race Track.

The New York Marathon is one of the largest marathon running events in the world. This championship has been held since 1970.

The New York Marathon route begins with Staten Island and finishes at Central Park. What makes it special, there are a number of bridges that runners pass throughout the race, from Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, Pulaski Bridge, Queensboro (59th Street) Bridge, Willis Avenue Bridge, to Madison Avenue Bridge.

The route that runners go through is quite difficult, especially when crossing the East River via Queensboro Bridge to Manhattan because of the uphill route

The Berlin Marathon event was first held in 1979. The route starts and ends at the Brandenburg Gate.

Once runners leave the Brandenburg Gate, they will cross the Charlottenburg, Tiergarten,ten and Mitte routes. From there, participants tested the southern route to Friedrichshain. The runners will continue to run west between Kreuzberg and Neuk\"olln, Sch\"oneberg, Friedenau, and Zehlendorf, before turning north aka returning to the city center. From here, runners will circle Sch\"oneberg and return to Brandenburg Gate.

The oldest marathon event in the world next is the London Marathon. The route starts from Blackhealth in Southeast London and ends in front of Buckingham Palace.

London Marathon was first staged on March 29, 1981. This event was not originally the first long-distance race in London. In 1909, the British capital held a marathon running event titled The Polytechnic Marathon.

London Maraton was initiated by Olympic champion and journalist, Chris Brasher, and running athlete John Dicky. Both took the initiative to initiate the London Marathon after joining the New York Marathon in 1979.

Now the London Marathon is held every spring. This event only opens the full marathon category.

This is the information regarding the oldest 4 marathon events in the world.