this post was submitted on 17 Oct 2024
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A real Marathon man (lemmy.world)
submitted 2 months ago by PugJesus to c/historymemes
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[–] jpreston2005 49 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 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 21 points 2 months ago (1 children)

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

[–] Zannsolo 6 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Probably kidney failure

[–] AngryCommieKender 3 points 2 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 6 points 2 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 2 points 2 months ago

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

[–] Agent641 2 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Rhabdo?

[–] Zannsolo 1 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 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.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 2 months ago (2 children)

No have horse?

[–] [email protected] 9 points 2 months ago (1 children)

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

[–] [email protected] 6 points 2 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

[–] [email protected] 11 points 2 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.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 months ago

Now we're cookin with grease

[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 months ago

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

[–] [email protected] 9 points 2 months ago

Famously ancient historians never embellished anything especially when it comes to a story with national significance

[–] [email protected] 4 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

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

Run Pheidippides! Run!