this post was submitted on 17 Oct 2024

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A real Marathon man (lemmy.world)

submitted 11 months ago by PugJesus@lemmy.world to c/historymemes@lemmy.world

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[–] superkret@feddit.org 70 points 11 months ago (2 children)

He ran a marathon and died.
Today, millions run marathons and are fine.
Some do it while wearing T-Rex costumes.

[–] AngryCommieKender@lemmy.world 41 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Pheidippides didn't run a marathon. He ran 260 km over two days and died. A modern marathon is "only" 42.195 km.

You'd probably die as well without training for said marathon, which that poor man didn't have the luxury of doing.

[–] jpreston2005@lemmy.world 49 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (4 children)

Pheidippides

Oh man, are you selling it short. He was a professional running-courier, so we can assume he was well-seasoned for the activity, BUT

The traditional story relates that Pheidippides (530–490 BC), an Athenian herald, or hemerodrome[3] (translated as 'day-runner',[4] 'courier',[5][6] 'professional-running courier'[3] or 'day-long runner'[7]), was sent to Sparta to request help when the Persians landed at Marathon, Greece. He ran about 240 km (150 mi) in two days, and then ran back. He then ran the 40 km (25 mi) to the battlefield near Marathon and back to Athens to announce the Greek victory over Persia in the Battle of Marathon (490 BC) with the word νικῶμεν (nikomen[8] 'We win!'), as stated by Lucian chairete, nikomen ('hail, we are the winners')[9] and then collapsed and died.

If I'm reading this correctly, he ran 350 miles in around a week or less? That's insane.

[–] AngryCommieKender@lemmy.world 21 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Ok, yeah that's insane. No wonder the poor guy dropped from exhaustion

[–] Zannsolo@lemmy.world 6 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Probably kidney failure

[–] AngryCommieKender@lemmy.world 3 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Happy Cakeday! 🍰🎂

Kidney failure? Was he chugging wine and mead the whole way, or is that just a result of extreme dehydration?

[–] Zannsolo@lemmy.world 6 points 11 months ago (2 children)

Muscles break down kidneys get overwhelmed and go into failure. Sometimes (rarely) ultra marathoners will need dialysis and they are running a much shorter distance.

[–] AngryCommieKender@lemmy.world 2 points 11 months ago

Ahh! Gotcha. Fair enough. I suppose that's actually useful for me to know, thanks!

[–] Agent641@lemmy.world 2 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Rhabdo?

[–] Zannsolo@lemmy.world 2 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)

I dunno basically basing this off a bit of running knowledge and something I sorta remembered, probably from an episode of house or some other medical show. I also did a bit of quick googling to validate its a real thing.

[–] Amanduh@lemm.ee 10 points 11 months ago (2 children)

No have horse?

[–] Ilovethebomb@lemm.ee 9 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Humans can actually outrun a horse under certain conditions, notably hot temperatures and extreme distances.

[–] Amanduh@lemm.ee 6 points 11 months ago (1 children)

But like if he could have ridden a horse and then ran and found a new horse ya know? Maybe he could have lived

[–] Ilovethebomb@lemm.ee 11 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Funnily enough, a pony train has been the solution many times throughout history. A messenger would ride one horse to exhaustion, jump on another at a depot, and continue.

[–] Amanduh@lemm.ee 3 points 11 months ago

Now we're cookin with grease

[–] Redfox8@mander.xyz 3 points 11 months ago

Very expensive, like owning a Rolls Royce as a modern day gig worker delivering pizzas...

[–] Boxscape@lemmy.sdf.org 4 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)

he ran 350 miles in around a week or less? That's insane.

Run Pheidippides! Run!

[–] Squibbles@lemmy.ca 26 points 11 months ago (2 children)

You may not like it but this is what peak performance looks like

spoiler

[–] Kolanaki@yiffit.net 6 points 11 months ago

Is that the nutsack mascot from the Postal games?

[–] LemmyKnowsBest@lemmy.world 6 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)

Is that available at any Spirit Halloween?