Nine of the most unforgettable and iconic marathon moments of all time
Heroics, defiance, cheating and records. The history of the marathon has it all.
Since Pheidippides is said to have run from the battlefield in Marathon to announce victory in Athens, this legendary running format has been making history.
From the 130 years of competitive marathon, we’ve seen heroic feats, scandal and incredible athletic performances. We’ve rounded up nine of the best marathon moments.
1. First Olympic marathon
Marathon running entered the Olympics at Athens 1896 at the suggestion of Frenchman Michael Bréal, a linguist who is credited as the inventor of modern marathon.
Greece’s Spyridon Louis won the 40km race in 2:58:30. It would take 25 years for the International Amateur Athletic Federation to standardise the distance at 42.195km or 26.2miles.
2. Radcliffe’s record
The official marathon world record was a new concept when Paula Radcliffe set 2:15:25 at the London Marathon in 2003. Unfortunately for the Brit, her unscheduled, road-side toilet two years later is probably more memorable to the general public.
Remarkably, despite progress in nutrition, training and technology, especially carbon-plate running shoes, this benchmark stood until 2019.
3. Ruth Chepngetich goes sub-2:10
By the time Ruth Chepngetich smashed the women’s record by nearly a minute at the 2024 Chicago Marathon, eight women had surpassed Radcliffe’s time. But the Kenyan was the first woman to break 2:10, a physiological and psychological barrier similar to 2:00 in the men’s event.
4. Kipchoge’s 1:59
Eliud Kipchoge broke the two-hour threshold on his second attempt, albeit not in an official marathon like Chepngetich.
After falling just short in the Nike Breaking2 attempt, Kipchoge ran 1:59:40 in the Ineos 1:59 Challenge on 12 October 2019. Because he benefited from a team of rolling pacemakers, this doesn’t officially count as a marathon.
5. Kiptum goes like the wind
Kelvin Kiptum got close to the two-hour mark in an official marathon when he clocked 2:00:35 at the Chicago Marathon in 2023. This took 34 seconds of Kipchoge’s official record and Kiptum looked poised to go even faster. However, he died in a car crash in February 2024.
6. Can’t stop Switzer
That Radcliffe, Chepngetich and millions of other women have been able to run marathons owes a lot to Kathrine Switzer.
In defiance of the race director, Switzer started and completed the Boston Marathon in 1967, becoming the second woman to do so. It took five years for Boston to officially accept female marathoners and women had to wait until the 1984 Los Angeles games to run at the Olympics.
7. Tanni’s sixth
Tanni Grey-Thompson retired with 11 Paralympic golds over distances between 100m and 800m, and her outstanding record at the London Wheelchair Marathon shows at her best she was nearly unbeatable over longer distances. In 2002, she won her sixth title since 1992.
The likes of Catherine Debrunner have since gone faster, but no woman has won more times. David Weir has won the men’s event eight times.
8. Rosie Rui
Marathon running has an inglorious side: cheating. While many frauds have attempted to deceive their way to success, Rosie Ruiz is still one of marathon’s most infamous cheats.
She was declared winner of the women’s 1980 Boston Marathon. But her ‘win’ immediately aroused suspicion. She had skipped most of the course and only reentered for the last mile. Organisers stripped her of the win eight days later. It’s believed she had previously cheated in New York to qualify for Boston.
9. Bikila’s bare feet
Not only did Adebe Bikila become the first black African to win an Olympic gold at Rome 1960 by triumphing in the marathon, he did so bare foot. His time was an astonishing 2:15. He also made history by being the first Olympian to win consecutive marathons in Tokyo four years later.
Jack Evans
