26.2
The Battle of Marathon
Two thousand and five hundred years ago, Athens sent military fleets across the Aegean sea in support of the ongoing Ionian Revolt against the Persian Empire. Unfortunately for the revolutionaries, the revolt was swiftly quashed. Yet, unbeknownst to Athens, the devastating repercussion of the revolt is yet to come. The Persian king started to view the whole of Greece as a destabilizing force that must be eradicated. For the next 3 years until the first Persian invasion in 490 BC, Darius the Great supposedly had his servant say “Master, remember the Athenians” three times a day before dinner.
The subjugation of Greece seemed inevitable. The Persian Empire was unfathomably rich. Its territorial expanse was so vast that it stretched from Egypt all the way to the borders of India. It has been said that the Persian army was so large that it “drank the rivers dry” wherever it went.
Yet the Athenians prevailed.
The Victory at Marathon was a watershed moment. It kept the Persian Empire out of mainland Greece for almost a decade, and greatly boosted Greek morale. The battle of Marathon showed the Greeks that the Persians can be defeated, and indeed they were 10 years later at the Battle of Plataea. Legend has it that after the battle, an Athenian runner named Pheidippides ran 26 miles to Athens, where he announced to the people: “We’ve won!” then promptly collapsed and died of exhaustion*.
Figure: Runner Announcing Victory to People of Athens by Luc-Olivier Merson
My Battle With The Marathon
This past Sunday, I participated in the 2024 Surf City Marathon at Huntington Beach. The race started off great. The ocean view was terrific; the weather was perfect; the run felt effortless; at least for the first 16 miles.
Everything went downhill at 21 miles. When I eventually dragged myself across the finish line, most of the crowds have left. The tumbleweeds drifted across the pavement at twice my speed. I closed my eyes to take in the moment despite the intense pain in my legs. A song by Pitbull was blaring on the speaker which only made the pain worse. After I’ve stabilized myself physically and emotionally, I noticed that the cameraman was getting ready to pack up. No! What was the point in all this suffering if I don’t get my photo! With incredible dexterity and my fastest pace in the last six hours, I leaped towards the photographer. Anyways, long story short, here’s a photo of me at the finish line. Compared to the painting above, you’ll notice more clothes, less crowd, and equal amount of pain.
Figure: Runner Experiencing Excruciating Pain After Marathon
When I finished my first half-marathon last year, I felt great exhilaration and an overwhelming sense of accomplishment. When I finished my first marathon this past Sunday, all I felt was pain and maybe a sense of relief. It’s been 3 days and I am still so sore. Follow your dreams! Even if they happen to be nightmares.
Footnote:
*The Marathon origin story above is actually not accurate. Pheidippides ran a lot more than a marathon, he was sent from Athens to Sparta to ask for assistance before the battle started. In total, he covered a distance of 140 miles in two days. Pheidippides’ travel to Sparta is conflated with how the Athenian army marched ~25 miles back to Athens at a very high pace immediately after the battle.
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