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A much-disputed version of history claims that in 490BC, the Greek messenger Pheidippides sped from the battlefield of Marathon to Athens to announce that the Persians had been defeated. He ran the whole way without stopping, burst into the assembly and declared the victory. He promptly collapsed and died, but marathon runners don't tend to focus on that bit of the story. The word 'marathon' has become synonymous with any epic event. The classicist Natalie Haynes is a keen runner. She's no stranger to half marathons, but the full 26.2 miles still looms like a Colossus. She wants to find out what special kind of steel is required to take on a marathon - particularly for the ordinary, non-elite runner. First broadcast on Keep On Running, 27 April 2019.
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