Athens hosted the first official marathon race in the 1896 Olympics.
The inaugural Olympic marathon was held in Greece on April 10, 1896, during the first modern Olympic Games. It ran from the town of Marathon to Athens, linking the modern sporting event with the ancient Battle of Marathon and its associated messenger legend.
The race finished at the Panathenaic Stadium, a white marble venue reconstructed for the Games. Spyridon Louis won for Greece, followed by Kharilaos Vasilakos. The event immediately became one of the most distinctive Olympic competitions.
Athens was not the first city to stage a long-distance race called a marathon outside the Olympics, but it was the host city of the first Olympic version. The distance was not yet standardized at 42.195 kilometres; that official length developed after later Olympic races, especially London 1908.