The marathon has been a mainstay of the modern Olympics since the 1896 games in Athens, Greece. It was first run as an homage to the ancient Greek legend about a messenger running from Marathon to Athens. But it wasn’t until the 1908 Olympics that the current distance of 26.2 miles was officially set. In the century since, race routes, participating countries, and winning times have seen significant change.
This interactive map chronicles the history of the marathon in the Olympics. It uses information from Olympedia and The Olympic Marathon by David E. Martin to visualize every marathon route from 1896 to 2020.
For each occurrence of the Summer Olympics, you’ll find an animation of the race route overlaid on recent real-world imagery. You can also learn more about the winner of each event and their winning time, as well as anecdotes about each race.
As you scroll through the games, a few patterns emerge. Marathon routes tend to take one of three forms:
- A one-way race beginning in one location and ending in another (for example, the 1896 Athens Olympics and the 1968 Mexico City Olympics).
- An out-and-back path that takes runners along the route in both directions (nearly all the Summer Games from 1920 to 1960).
- A loop or circuit that starts and ends in the same place with minimal repeated areas (most of the Summer Olympics since 1972).
Winning times generally improved over the last century as distance running has become more popular. The countries atop the podium have also diversified. And beginning with the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, the marathon has expanded to include a women’s race as well.
The geography of the host city plays a major role in the Summer Olympics, and the influence of the environment is on peak display during the marathon. This map extends the focus beyond Olympic venues and highlights the 21 cities that have hosted the Summer Games.
