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marathon
As I embarked on my 18-week training program, I began to wonder about the physical demands that I was putting on my 32-year old Italian body. Would my 30-plus years of pasta dinners come back to haunt me? Do my brothers and sisters back in the motherland follow similar pursuits? Have my Italian brethren been successful with the marathon? Where did this bizarre ritual begin? Why 26.2 miles? Are there marathons in Italy? All questions that jogged through my head as I ran through my daily workouts. After several injuries, 534 miles of training, three pairs of sneakers and too much time to think, I completed my first marathon, the New York City Marathon, in 3 hours 52 minutes 35 seconds. And was told that I was a "winner," despite finishing precisely 1 hour, 42 minutes and 9 seconds behind the first place runner. What follows are answers to my many marathon questions, and useful information to help you run your very first marathon in Italia.
The Starting Line
While the massive Persian army landed in Marathon, the Athenians sent a messenger named Philippides to Sparta to enlist the aid of the Spartans in the upcoming battle. Scholars state that Philippides covered the distance of about 150 miles in less than two days, and the Spartans began preparing to help their Athenian neighbors. (The ancient Greeks were no strangers to long-distance running, for it served as a common means to communicate, frequently using foot couriers to take important messages from city to city). Back at Marathon, the Athenian army decided not to wait for the Spartans. In a surprise maneuver, the Athenians fell upon the vastly larger Persian forces while they were still preparing for battle. Against great odds, the Greeks prevailed. Though historians writing close to the time of the battle make no mention of the event, writers some 600 years later claim that a runner (some say Philippides) was dispatched to Athens to carry the news of the great victory. According to legend, he reached the city, said, "Rejoice, we conquer," and fell to the ground dead.
The current marathon distance was established at the 1908 London Olympics so that the course could cover the 26 miles between Windsor Castle and White City Stadium. Three hundred and eighty five yards were added at the end so that the race could finish in front of the royal family's viewing box. Not until 1921, however, did the IAAF adopt the distance of 26 miles 385 yards (26.2 miles or 42 kilometers) as the "official" Marathon distance ( look at the comprhensive "Olympic Marathon History")
Italian Marathoners - New York winners
The best time ever for a female Italian marathoner was recorded by Maura Viceconte in Vienna on May 21, 2000. Viceconte finished her record setting run in 2:23:47, to rank 28th on the list of the world's best female marathon times. The three next best times posted by female Italian marathoners, in order, are Franca Fiacconi in 2:25:17 (New York, November 1, 1998, 60th all time best); Maria Guida in 2:25:57 (Marranello-Capri, October 10, 1999, 90th all time best) and 2:26:12 (London, July 16, 2000, 108th all time best).
Marathons in Italy
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Two years ago I made a promise to myself. I had just watched my first New York City Marathon, and was inspired
by the 30,000 runners of all shapes, sizes, ages and disabilities running, walking, limping and rolling by.
A feat so awe-inspiring, I promised myself that I too would run a marathon.
As the history books tell it, in 490 B.C. an army from Persia landed on the plain of Marathon, Greece, about
twenty-five miles from Athens, with the intention of capturing and enslaving that city. The Greeks knew that
a victory for the powerful Persian Empire would effectively end Greek civilization and culture, and expose Europe
to eventual Persian conquest. As a result, the Athenians quickly prepared for battle.
And, thus, the legend of Marathon was born The Battle of Marathon",
September 490 BC, by Major General Dimitris Gedeon, HEAR).
The Modern Marathon Comes to Life at the 1896 Olympics. The first modern day marathon was run on
April 10, 1896 at the Olympic Games in Greece. The marathon covered 24.85 miles (40 kilometers),
the distance from Marathon Bridge to the Olympic Stadium in Athens. The race began with twenty-five
runners, but only nine were able to complete the full distance. The lone Italian, Carlo Airoldi,
who was the most experienced long distance runner of the day, was disqualified before the race even
started for being a "professional." Fittingly, the first Olympic marathon was won by a Greek,
Spiridon Louis in 2:58:50, and no less than eight of the nine finishers were Greek.
Traditionally, Italians have had great success as marathon runners. Perhaps the best evidence of
this comes in the number of Italians listed in the top 200 marathon times of all time.
The best time ever recorded for an Italian marathoner was posted by Stefano Baldini in London on
April 13, 1997. Baldini finished his record setting run in 2:07:57, good enough to rank 51st
on the list of the world's best marathon times. The four next best times posted by Italian
marathoners, in order, are Gelindo Bordin in 2:08:19 (Boston, April 16, 1990, 87th all time
best); Danilo Goffi in 2:08:33 (Rotterdam, April 19, 1998, 116th all time best); Giacomo
Leone in 2:08:41 (Roma, January 1, 2000, 140th all time best) and Francesco Ingargiola in
2:08:49 (Roma, January 1, 2000, 166th all time best).
Italians have also fared well in the two most competitive U.S. marathons.
Italian Gelindo Bordin was the last non-Kenyan to win the Boston Marathon, posting a time of
2:08:19 in 1990. Franca Fiacconi won the
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