Pheidippides Statue of Pheidippides along the route he is supposed to have run between the battlefield at Marathon and Athens. (more) Pheidippides Greek legendary figure Also known as: Phidippides, Philippides Written by Gitanjali Roy Gitanjali Roy is senior editor, Encyclopaedia Britannica. She has over two decades of editorial experience across digital and broadcast media. Gitanjali Roy Fact-checked by Britannica Editors Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree.... Britannica Editors Last updated Mar. 30, 2026 •History Pheidippides, legendary Greek hēmerodromos, or courier, who is popularly believed to have run 40 km (about 25 miles) from the battlefield at Marathon to Athens in 490 bce, to report that the Athenians, in a single afternoon, had repulsed the first Persian invasion of Greece. His feat is popularly believed to have inspired the modern long-distance race known as the marathon. In another account, Pheidippides ran the much longer distance from Athens to Sparta and...

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