These ornaments are about 4 inches tall. He is wearing a white tank style shirt with a blue stripe over a short sleeved red shirt, blue shorts and white socks and running shoes. He is wearing his racing number, the red number 3, on the front of his shirt. These ornaments would make great Birthday gifts for avid runners. Select this link to view our Sports Ornaments.
History of the Marathon.
When the idea of a modern Olympics became a reality at the end of the 19th century, the initiators and organizers were looking for a great popularizing event, recalling the ancient glory of Greece. The idea of organizing a marathon race came from Michel Bréal, who wanted the event to feature in the first modern Olympic Games in 1896 in Athens. This idea was heavily supported by Pierre de Coubertin, the founder of the modern Olympics, as well as the Greeks. The Greeks staged a selection race for the Olympic marathon, and this first marathon was won by Charilaos Vasilakos in 3 hours and 18 minutes. The winner of the first Olympic Marathon in 1896 which was a male only race, was Spiridon "Spiros" Louis, a Greek water-carrier. He won at the Olympics in 2 hours 58 minutes and 50 seconds, despite stopping on the way for a glass of wine from his uncle waiting near the village of Chalandri. Select this link to view our Potential Marathon Runner.
The women's marathon was introduced at the 1984 Summer Olympics (Los Angeles, USA).
Since the modern games were founded, it has become a tradition for the men's Olympic marathon to be the last event of the athletics calendar, with a finish inside the Olympic stadium, often within hours of, or even incorporated into, the closing ceremonies. The marathon of the 2004 Summer Olympics revived the long-established route from Marathon to Athens ending at Panathinaiko Stadium, the venue for the 1896 Summer Olympics. Select this link to view our Man Gliding Down the Ski Trail.
The length of a marathon was not fixed at first, since the only important factor was that all athletes competed on the same course. The marathon races in the first few Olympic Games were not of a set length, but were approximately 40 km,[6] roughly the distance from Marathon to Athens by the longer, flatter route. The exact length of the Olympic marathon varied depending on the route established for each venue. Select this link to view our Girl Swooshing Down the Slopes.
For the Olympics in 1912, the length was changed to 40.2 km (24.98 miles) and changed again to 42.75 km (26.56 miles) for the 1920 Olympics until it was fixed at the 1908 distance for the 1924 Olympics. In fact, of the first seven Olympic Games, there were six different marathon distances between 40 km and 42.75 km. Select this link to view our Snowboarding Ornaments.
Following the 1908 Olympics in London, an annual event called the Polytechnic Marathon had been instituted and it was largely due to the prestige of the Polytechnic Marathon that 42.195 km was adopted as the official marathon distance in 1921 by the International Amateur Athletic Federation. Select this link to view our Gifts for Snowboarders.