Running History

By Purkaple
  • 776 BCE

    Creation of running as a sport

    Koroibos, a cook from the nearby city of Elis, won the stadium race, a foot race 600 feet long. According to some literary traditions, this was the only athletic event of the games for the first 13 Olympic festivals.
  • 490 BCE

    First Marathon

    This changed history by introducing a new level of fitness and pushing runners to go the distance.

  • College running

    The Intercollegiate Association of Amateur Athletes of America, the nation’s first national athletic group, held the first collegiate races

  • Racing Championships

    The Amateur Athletic Union (which governed the sport for nearly a century) held its first championships.

  • First Modern Olympic Games

    This marked the beginning of a new level of competition for running.

  • The First Boston Marathon

    The creation of the Boston Marathon allowed for runners of all skills and backgrounds to compete in the greatest race of all time.

  • Start of the NCAA

    The first NCAA national championships were held for men. This opened the field for a new level of uniform achievement.

  • Women in track and field

    The first women athletics included running in the summer games of 1921.

  • Russia Entered The Scene

    This sparked an athletic rivalry with the US that propelled distance running into greater success.

  • International professional running

    This allowed runners to make a living off running much like the more common cycling.