# marathon

Pronunciation: say "MA-ruh-thon" US /ˈmæɹəˌθɑn/, AUS /ˈmæɹə(ˌ)θɔn/; UK say "MA-ruh-thuhn" /ˈmæɹəθən/

## Noun

1. A road race covering 42.195 kilometers, or 26 miles and 385 yards.
   - Simple: A long running race of about 26 miles, held on roads.
   - _He completed the marathon in just under four hours._
   - _The course for the Boston marathon includes a famous uphill stretch near the finish._
2. A prolonged or demanding undertaking that requires sustained effort over a long stretch of time.
   - Simple: Something that takes a very long time and a lot of effort to finish.
   - _The final exam season felt like a marathon of late nights and coffee._
   - _Negotiating the contract became a marathon stretching over several weeks._

## Verb

3. To watch or read a large number of episodes or installments of something in a single sitting. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: To watch or read many parts of a show or book at one time.
   - _She planned to marathon all eight films before the new release._
   - _Fans marathon the entire trilogy whenever it returns to streaming._
4. To compete in or run a 42.195-kilometer road race.
   - Simple: To run in a race that is about 26 miles long.
   - _She hopes to marathon in three different cities this year._
   - _Thousands marathon every fall despite the cold weather._

## Origin

From French marathon, coined in 1894 by the linguist Michel Bréal for the first modern Olympic Games, after Ancient Greek Μαραθών (Marathṓn), a town northeast of Athens. According to tradition, Phidippides ran from Marathon to Athens to deliver news of the Battle of Marathon, and the modern race covers roughly the same distance. The town's name comes from μάραθον (márathon, "fennel"), reflecting how common the plant was in the area.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/marathon (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).