Susan F. Craft
According to legend, the world's
first marathon was run — unintentionally — in 490 B.C. by a Greek soldier,
Pheidippides, who ran the twenty-five miles to
In Colonial America, by 1750
households at all levels had prospered to the point where they could buy a wide
range of non-essential consumer goods. Along with the prosperity came an
interest in leisure activities, including outdoor games and foot races.
Militia musters, court days, and
public executions became community festivals, which included games, foot races,
wrestling contests, horse races, and cudgeling, in which contestants used a
stout ash stick to bludgeon an opponent into submission. Colonials also enjoyed
itinerant magicians, acrobats, trapeze artists, jugglers, and the
presentation
of exotic animals.
In the rugged frontier environment of
the backcountry in places like Appalachia , running,
no-rules fighting, and throwing axes and spears became popular sports.
Running among the American Indians
grew out of the skills needed for war, particularly the need for practiced and
trained runners who carried messages and vital information. Sometimes they held
races as a form of entertainment at the conclusion of councils. The Iroquois
tribes would select their best runners to compete in those foot races.
Foot races were a favorite sport
among the Eskimos, who called them uk-whaun and ran them in the autumn when the
new ice formed. The races would be one to three miles in length, to and around
some natural object such as a stand of rocks.
During the American Revolution the
First Continental Congress discouraged sports, as the founding fathers believed
that idle amusements were decadent. They thought Americans should be virtuous
and should abstain from luxuries like sports and should practice frugality. In
contrast, George Washington encouraged games among his troops including foot
races, bowling, cricket, shinny, fives, and a form of football. He felt the
games allowed soldiers to exercise and gave them a relief from fighting and
from their terrible living conditions.
Track-and-field athletics in the United States
An estimated 800 marathons are now
held around the world each year; 20 of them with 10,000 or more finishers.
The Boston Marathon is the world's
oldest annual marathon. When it was
first held in 1897 only 18 runners took part. Last year, however, more than
21,000 runners finished the 26.2 mile course.
My heart goes out to the families
of the victims of the terror attack. I’m so proud of the first responders,
professional and volunteer, who ran toward the victims and treated them with
such care and concern. My sincere thanks to the members of all the agencies who
worked together to capture the perpetrator of this heinous crime. Evil is alive
and prospering in this world. As a Christian, it comforts me to know, with
blessed assurance, that good will ultimately win the battle. God will prevail.
