Definitions for marathon
ˈmær əˌθɒn, -θənmarathon

Princeton's WordNetRate this definition:2.8 / 5 votes

1. marathon, endurance contestnoun

   any long and arduous undertaking

2. marathonnoun

   a footrace of 26 miles 385 yards

3. Marathon, battle of Marathonnoun

   a battle in 490 BC in which the Athenians and their allies defeated the Persians

WiktionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. marathonnoun

   A 42.195 kilometre (26 mile 385 yard) road race.

2. marathonnoun

   Any extended or sustained activity.

   He had a cleaning marathon the night before his girlfriend came over.

3. Etymology: Μαραθών, a town northeast of Athens. Phidippides the Greek ran the distance from Marathon to Athens to deliver a message regarding the Battle of Marathon. The modern sport of marathon running is based on a run approximately the same distance.

WikipediaRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Marathon

   The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of 42.195 km (26 mi 385 yd), usually run as a road race, but the distance can be covered on trail routes. The marathon can be completed by running or with a run/walk strategy. There are also wheelchair divisions. More than 800 marathons are held throughout the world each year, with the vast majority of competitors being recreational athletes, as larger marathons can have tens of thousands of participants.The marathon was one of the original modern Olympic events in 1896. The distance did not become standardized until 1921. The distance is also included in the World Athletics Championships, which began in 1983. It is the only running road race included in both championship competitions (walking races on the roads are also contested in both).

FreebaseRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Marathon

   The marathon is a long-distance running event with an official distance of 42.195 kilometres, that is usually run as a road race. The event was instituted in commemoration of the fabled run of the Greek soldier Pheidippides, a messenger from the Battle of Marathon to Athens. The marathon was one of the original modern Olympic events in 1896, though the distance did not become standardized until 1921. More than 500 marathons are held throughout the world each year, with the vast majority of competitors being recreational athletes. Smaller marathons, such as the Stanley Marathon, can have just dozens of participants, while larger marathons can have tens of thousands of participants.

The Nuttall EncyclopediaRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Marathon

   a village, 22 m. NE. of Athens, on the sea border of a plain where the Greeks under Miltiades on a world-famous occasion defeated the Persians under Darius in 480 B.C.; the plain on which the battle was fought extends between mountains on the W. and the sea on the E.

Military Dictionary and GazetteerRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. marathon

   A village on the east shore of Attica, 20 miles northeast from Athens. Here on September 28 and 29, 490 B.C., the Greeks, only 10,000 strong, defeated the Persian army amounting to 200,000, who had 6400 killed. The Greek loss was 192 Athenians killed, besides some Platæans and slaves. The Greeks were commanded by Miltiades, Aristides, and Themistocles. Among the slain was Hippias, the instigator of the war. The Persian army was forced to retreat to Asia.

Suggested ResourcesRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. marathon

   Song lyrics by marathon -- Explore a large variety of song lyrics performed by marathon on the Lyrics.com website.

Matched Categories

1. • Footrace
   • Pitched Battle
   • Undertaking

How to pronounce marathon?

1. Alex

   US English

   David

   US English

   Mark

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Libby

   British

   Mia

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Hayley

   Australian

   Natasha

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

   Priya

   Indian

   Neerja

   Indian

   Zira

   US English

   Oliver

   British

   Wendy

   British

   Fred

   US English

   Tessa

   South African

How to say marathon in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of marathon in Chaldean Numerology is: 2

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of marathon in Pythagorean Numerology is: 9

Examples of marathon in a Sentence

1. Alexi Pappas:

   Trying something in a television world is almost like moving from the track to the marathon -- it's like the same sport but a different event, it's like we're learning new rules and that's what's fun about the running and the creative worlds -- you can try new mediums and new events... similar muscles but different.

2. Troy Collings:

   I spoke to our North Korean partners this morning who said they were in discussions with the marathon committee about reopening the event to foreign runners, it looks likely we'll be able to have our groups join the race as planned. We're still awaiting full confirmation, which should come in a couple of days.

3. Haydn Parry:

   Once we have approval, it's a very short time indeed, we already have a mosquito-raising facility in Marathon, Florida, so we would send the eggs from the United Kingdom and begin growing them.

4. Hollie Pearne-Webb:

   We all know that we’re still in this. Game one is out of the way and it’s a marathon, not a sprint.

5. David Ortiz:

   We have some incredible memories. When I think about Boston, I definitely think about 2004, 2007, and of course 2013, after the city was shaken by a marathon bombing. I have never seen a community bounce back and reunite like Boston.

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