| Marathon Athens: This region is a well-known site, since it is the place where the famous battle of Marathon between the Greeks and the Persian army took place in 490 BC. The story says that after the bloody battle, a messenger named Pheidippides ran the 42 km that divided Marathon from Athens to announce the victory of the Greeks, and died from exhaustion right after spreading the news. This story is what started the marathon foot race in witch today runners follow the same Pheidippides route. |