Running is more than just getting in shape; it’s a sport full of history and anecdotes dating back to Ancient Greece. The word \u00abmarathon\u00bb comes from the legend of Pheidippides, the messenger who, according to tradition, ran from the plain of Marathon to Athens to announce victory over the Persian army. After covering around 40 kilometres and proclaiming the triumph, he collapsed from exhaustion. Whether myth or reality, his story inspired the first modern marathons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In fact, the official marathon distance of 42.195 kilometres wasn’t set until the London Olympics in 1908. To ensure the race finished directly in front of the royal box, organisers extended the route to the 42.195 km we know today. Since then, runners worldwide have sought to master the distance, and figures like Eliud Kipchoge and Tigst Assefa have pushed men’s and women’s records to seemingly supernatural heights.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Our obsession with measuring everything has also normalised names like 5K, 10K or half marathon. These labels, once unfamiliar, now represent accessible challenges for runners of all abilities. And while we talk about stopwatches and personal bests, what hooks millions of people is the feeling known as the \u00abrunner’s high\u00bb: a flood of endorphins that triggers wellbeing and euphoria after a demanding run.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The modern running boom has its sociological side too. Mass events such as Madrid’s San Silvestre Vallecana or the Behobia\u2013San Sebasti\u00e1n draw tens of thousands of participants each year and have become cultural happenings. Apps and social networks mean runners anywhere can share their progress and encourage one another, forming a global community. For those who run, every race number tells a story, and running is much more than putting one foot in front of the other \u2013 it’s a way of seeing the world.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Running is more than just getting in shape; it’s a sport full of history and anecdotes dating back to Ancient Greece. The word \u00abmarathon\u00bb comes from the legend of Pheidippides, the messenger who, according to tradition, ran from the plain of Marathon to Athens to announce victory over the Persian army. After covering around 40 kilometres […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":148,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[20],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-128","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sin-categoria-en"],"yoast_head":"\n