88 Marathon Running Trivia Questions with Answers
88 public questions with answers, drawn from the well. How many can you answer?
Which athlete won the women’s marathon at the 1988 Seoul Olympics?
Answer
Rosa Mota
Who won the men’s Olympic marathon at the 1964 Tokyo Games?
Answer
Abebe Bikila
What is the marathon distance in miles?
Answer
26.2 miles
Which athlete won the 1952 Olympic men’s marathon?
Answer
Emil Zátopek
Who won the 1908 Olympic marathon in London?
Answer
Johnny Hayes
Which organization maintains the official world records for marathon running?
Answer
World Athletics
What is the name of the steep climb near the end of the Boston Marathon?
Answer
Heartbreak Hill
Which athlete won the 2018 Boston Marathon women’s race in the cold rain?
Answer
Desiree Linden
Who won the 2014 Boston Marathon, becoming the first American men’s champion since 1983?
Answer
Meb Keflezighi
Which athlete won the men’s marathon at the 2004 Athens Olympics?
Answer
Stefano Baldini
What distance did the 1908 London Olympic marathon establish as the modern standard?
Answer
26 miles 385 yards
Which runner first broke 2 hours 4 minutes in an officially recognized marathon?
Answer
Haile Gebrselassie
Which athlete won the 1960 Olympic marathon while representing Ethiopia?
Answer
Abebe Bikila
Which marathon did Frank Shorter win at the 1972 Munich Olympics?
Answer
Men’s Olympic marathon
Which marathon hosted the 1967 race won by Derek Clayton in a world-record 2:09:36?
Answer
Fukuoka Marathon
What is the name of the hill climbed late in the Boston Marathon?
Answer
Heartbreak Hill
Which marathon did Kathrine Switzer enter officially in 1967 using the race number 261?
Answer
Boston Marathon
Who completed the first sub-two-hour marathon in the 2019 INEOS 1:59 Challenge?
Answer
Eliud Kipchoge
Who was the first official women’s Boston Marathon winner in 1972?
Answer
Nina Kuscsik
What is the name of the famous downhill section in the Comrades Marathon?
Answer
Fields Hill
Which marathon is famous for finishing inside the Panathenaic Stadium?
Answer
Athens Marathon
What is the current men’s marathon world record?
Answer
2:00:35
Which bridge do New York City Marathon runners cross at the start?
Answer
Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge
Who won the women’s marathon at the 2016 Rio Olympics?
Answer
Jemima Sumgong
What is the official marathon distance in kilometres?
Answer
42.195 kilometres
Who was the first runner to record an official marathon time under 2 hours 2 minutes?
Answer
Eliud Kipchoge
Which marathon became the first to record more than 50,000 finishers in one race?
Answer
New York City Marathon
Who coined the name “marathon” for the modern long-distance race?
Answer
Michel Bréal
Who was the first woman to run the Boston Marathon unofficially?
Answer
Bobbi Gibb
Which city hosts South Africa’s Two Oceans Marathon?
Answer
Cape Town
Which U.S. marathon is nicknamed the “People’s Marathon”?
Answer
Marine Corps Marathon
Which runner set the Boston Marathon men’s course record in 2011?
Answer
Geoffrey Mutai
Where does the London Marathon traditionally finish?
Answer
The Mall
What is the Boston Marathon’s traditional race-day holiday in Massachusetts?
Answer
Patriots’ Day
In what year was the first Tokyo Marathon held?
Answer
2007
Which marathon is run partly along China’s Great Wall?
Answer
Great Wall Marathon