Jump To:

• marathon
  marathon

  noun

  a footrace or wheelchair race over a course measuring 26 miles 385 yards (42 kilometers 195 meters).
• Marathon
  Marathon

  noun

  a plain in SE Greece, in Attica: the Athenians defeated the Persians here 490 b.c.

marathon

¹ American  

[mar-uh-thon, -thuhn] / ˈmær əˌθɒn, -θən /

noun

• marathons
  plural

1. a footrace or wheelchair race over a course measuring 26 miles 385 yards (42 kilometers 195 meters).

2. any long-distance race.

3. any contest, event, or the like, of great, or greater than normal, length or duration or requiring exceptional endurance.

   a dance marathon;

   a sales marathon.

---

Marathon ² American  

[mar-uh-thon] / ˈmær əˌθɒn /

noun

1. a plain in SE Greece, in Attica: the Athenians defeated the Persians here 490 b.c.

2. an ancient village that is near this plain.

3. Classical Mythology. a son of Epopeus and the father of Corinthus.

---

marathon ¹ British  

/ ˈmærəθən /

noun

1. a race on foot of 26 miles 385 yards (42.195 kilometres): an event in the modern Olympics

2. 1. any long or arduous task, assignment, etc

   2. ( as modifier )

      a marathon effort

---

Marathon ² British  

/ ˈmærəθən /

noun

1. a plain in Attica northeast of Athens: site of a victory of the Athenians and Plataeans over the Persians (490 _bc )

---

Usage

What does marathon mean? A marathon is a 26. 22-mile (42. 2-kilometer) long-distance race. Technically, the exact length of a marathon is 26 miles 385 yards (42 kilometers 195 meters). But the length is mostly commonly stated as 26. 2 miles. Marathons are most commonly running races, but some people complete marathons in wheelchairs. Marathon courses are typically on roadways, often those in or around a city. The marathon is an event in the Summer Olympic Games. Major marathons are also held internationally in many major cities. Prominent events include the Boston Marathon, the New York Marathon, and the London Marathon. A marathon runner can be called a marathoner. A running race of 13. 1 miles is known as a half-marathon. The term ultramarathon refers to a race of 50 miles or more. The word marathon is also often used in a more general way to refer to a contest or event that takes a particularly long time and requires endurance, such as a dance marathon. A movie marathon involves several movies played consecutively. Sometimes, the word is used in a more figurative way to refer to a task or undertaking that takes a long time and requires patience, as in Be patient—learning karate is a marathon, not a sprint. Example: I’ve always wanted to run a marathon, so I started training today.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• marathons
  plural

Etymology

Origin of marathon

First recorded in 1895–1900; allusion to Pheidippides' 26-mile (42-kilometer) run from Marathon to Athens to carry news of the Greek victory over the Persians in 490 b.c.

Explanation

A marathon is a very long race that runners compete in — a 26 mile, 385 yard race, to be exact. When you're training for a marathon, you'll gradually increase the distance of your daily runs. The word marathon has ancient legendary roots: it comes from a long journey taken on foot by the Greek messenger Pheidippides, from the battlefields of Marathon to Athens in 490 BCE. As the story goes, he ran without stopping, announced to the citizens of Athens, "We have won," and promptly died. The marathon was one of the original Olympics events, and its difficulty inspired the figurative meaning of "any difficult undertaking."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

marathon Marathon marathons

The companies said they want to explore new weather markets for sporting events, for example, citing local ski conditions and marathon race days.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026

The marathon ended Sunday with Dudamel literally enthroned by, and serenaded by, Chris Martin of the band Coldplay.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026

So I began pushing farther: 20-mile days, then 24, then, one day, over a marathon.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026

Ethiopia's Yomif Kejelcha has broken the men's half marathon world record, winning a World Athletics road race in Buenos Aires on Sunday in 56 minutes 51 seconds.

From BBC ● Aug. 23, 2026

Of course, this is crazy and impossible and doomed, even if she’s a long-distance runner and has two marathon medals hanging on the doorknob of her room.

From "A Heart in a Body in the World" by Deb Caletti

The newly described fossils of C. praecursor were found in calcareous claystone concretions in the Tesnus Formation of the Marathon Uplift in western Texas.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 27, 2026

The reverse side of the Sydney Marathon medal shows a gold and indigo pattern designed by First Nations artist Ambrose Killian, widely commended for its ornate pattern.

From BBC ● Aug. 23, 2026

He also became one of the first men to run a sub-two hour marathon in record-eligible conditions earlier this year when finishing second behind Kenya's Sebastian Sawe in the London Marathon.

From BBC ● Aug. 23, 2026

Sydney Marathon confirmed runners would receive the medal depicting the incorrect city's stadium, noting: "It's a beautiful medal, and now a little more unique."

From BBC ● Aug. 23, 2026

I couldn’t link her to Marathon, New Jersey, either.

From "Burning Blue" by Paul Griffin

Tang enjoyed testing his endurance by running marathons and participating in triathlons.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026

Some reports focused on the strangest claims by Arday of his personal achievements, including that he ran 30 marathons in 35 days, some partly with a fracture in his leg.

From Barron's ● Aug. 19, 2026

Cycling, like other endurance sports, has undergone a revolution in carb-taking, a trend that also goosed mind-bending breakthroughs like the recent sub 2-hour marathons.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026

She had several years of good health where she was able to go on a trip with her sister to New Zealand, move to Bristol, take circus classes and run half marathons.

From BBC ● Jun. 30, 2026

It was fine, even necessary to fuel the brainiacs through late-night studying marathons.

From "Ungifted" by Gordon Korman