The first modern day Olympics which was held in Athens in 1896 included the Marathon event which was not performed at its current standardised distance.

Marathon races today cover an official distance of 42.195 Km (or 26 miles and 385 yards).

Over 500 marathon events are held worldwide every year.         

How many calories are burnt during a typical marathon?

A person weighing 150 lb requires and burns about 100 calories when out running. This number is considered to be relatively independent of pace, but is dependent on body weight.

At this rate of calorie consumption a marathon run over 26.2 miles would burn approximately 2600 calories.

The world records for the marathon distance are:  

 Mens:       Haile Gebrselassie       Time: 2h03:59

Women:    Paula Radcliffe              Time: 2h15:25