What is the official distance of the Marathon race?

Correct option is B

The correct answer is (b) 26 miles and 385 yards.

The official distance of a marathon is 26 miles and 385 yards, or approximately 42.195 kilometers. This distance was standardized by the International Amateur Athletic Federation (IAAF) in 1921.

Historical Background:

• The marathon originated as a commemorative event for the legendary run of a Greek soldier, Pheidippides, who is said to have run from the battlefield of Marathon to Athens to deliver news of victory over the Persians.
• The modern marathon made its debut in the first modern Olympic Games in Athens in 1896, with a distance of about 40 kilometers (24.85 miles).
• The specific distance of 26 miles and 385 yards was first used in the 1908 London Olympics, to allow the race to start at Windsor Castle and finish in front of the royal box in the Olympic Stadium.

Conversion:

• 26 miles and 385 yards = 42.195 kilometers
• This standardized distance has since been adopted for all official marathon races worldwide.

Additional Information:

• A half marathon is a road running event of 21.0975 kilometers (13 miles 192.5 yards)—half the distance of a marathon.
• Tola Tamirat of Ethiopia ran the race of his life to win Paris 2024 marathon gold on Saturday (10 August) with a new Olympic record of 2:06:26 as Kenyan legend Eliud Kipchoge failed to defend his title.