The First Marathon

The Legend of Pheidippides

Plot Summary

Twenty-five hundred years ago, in ancient Greece, a small band of Greek soldiers faced the mighty Persian army on the plain of Marathon. A runner named Pheidippides ran to neighboring Sparta, one hundred forty miles away, to ask for the Spartans’ aid. Afterwards he sped back to the battle, where he helped defeat the enemy. Then the weary runner did his duty yet once more; he ran from Marathon to Athens to deliver the miraculous news of the Greek victory.

The legend of brave Pheidippides has inspired the running of marathons worldwide.

Reviews

"Reynolds goes back 2,500 years to tell the exciting story of how the Greeks fought the mighty Persian army on the plains of Marathon...The dramatic, full-color, double-page illustrations, with heavy black accents, show the strong, rhythmic movement of the brave young athlete, the battle scenes, and then runners across the world today....A long, fascinating afterword for older readers offers information about the research, the line between legend and history, and the struggle of women to participate in marathons." Booklist

"The facts of the story, as they are known, are set out clearly within the context of a tale, and the book would read aloud quite well....The map of Greece and the Persian Empire on the endpapers is most helpful in laying a framework for the story. An afterword includes detailed information on the historical sources the author used to inform her story." School Library Journal

"The author's first picture book is full of engaging, exiting, and detailed drawings that illustrate the wonderful story of how marathons started...Children who are interested in running, Greek history, or legends will all enjoy this book."
Library Media Connection

"Reynolds manages to exercise the turn of story to her advantage by making a final connection between the legen and modern marathons, those who take part in them, and those who aspire to do so."
Children's Literature

Associated Keywords
running, runner, runners, walking, battle, war, sparta, greece, race. competition, athens