(Photo provided) Runners pass under a large American flag last year near the start of the News and Sentinel Half Marathon.

Hundreds of people will take to the streets of Parkersburg on Aug. 16 to take part in the yearly News and Sentinel Half Marathon. They, and the millions of other people who run either a half or full marathon each year are running the distance because of an ancient messenger in Greece who you might say ran the very first marathon some 2,500 years ago.

His “race” is believed to have taken place in August or September in 490 B.C. According to the legend, Pheidippides, a Greek messenger, witnessed a Persian ship change course and head toward Athens near the conclusion of the Battle of Marathon, which the Greek army had won.

He was concerned that the ship would arrive in Athens and claim a false victory before news reached the capital. His plan was to beat the ship there by running the entire distance. Enroute, he discarded his weapons and then his clothes to be able to run as quickly as possible. He must have been an unusual sight, running naked through the streets of Athens, bursting into an assembly and announcing, “We have won!”

The finish line for his “race” was sort of the finish line for Pheidippides as well. As soon as he announced the victory, he fell over dead.

It would be a while before another person tried the distance. When the Olympics were being revived in 1896 the organizers were looking for an event that would tie back to ancient Greece.

There is a mountain between Marathon Bay and Athens so Pheidippides would have needed to run around the mountain as did the first racers in 1896, covering around 25 miles, or 24.85 miles to be exact.

Between 1896 and 1924 the marathon distance was not standardized. At the 1908 Olympics in London, the race started at Windsor Castle and ended inside the White City Stadium, a distance of 26.22 miles. It wasn’t until 1921 that the race was finally standardized to 26.219 miles because of the length used in London.

Now, 100 years later, hundreds of marathons are held yearly with an estimated 1.1 million people worldwide taking part in the distance that, if the legend is true, killed the first person who tried it.

I have never run a marathon. I have run a half marathon. Twice in fact. And I did both when I was in my late 50s. You can too.

The News and Sentinel Half Marathon is an annual tradition in Parkersburg. It is one that I have helped run for the last 24 years. I am very proud of it. Not because of what I have done, but because of what the community has done. For decades volunteers have set up a world class race on the streets of Parkersburg on the third Saturday in August. They show up with smiles to help people they don’t even know take around 30,000 steps completing the course that makes a giant circle around Parkersburg. They keep the racers safe, they make sure they have water and Gatorade. They prepare meals for them, making sure they have the energy they need, and they are there for the end to cheer people on as they make their way down Market Street. A group of volunteer medical workers are also there to make sure they get the help they need.

Running a marathon, or a half marathon, is not about winning. It is about doing something that you didn’t know you were capable of – pushing yourself way out of your comfort zone.

Things did not end very well for Pheidippides in 490 B.C., but since then millions of people have mastered long distance running and walking.

Join us in Parkersburg for the News and Sentinel Half Marathon and see what makes it so special to race that distance. Unlike Pheidippides, you will have hundreds of people supporting your efforts.

If you are ready to run right now, give our sister race, the Ogden Half Marathon Classic, a try on May 24 in Wheeling. You can register for that race at http://www.ogdenwellnessweekend.com.

Art Smith is co-race director for the News and Sentinel Half Marathon. You can register for the race at NewsandSentinelHalfMarathon.com.