【明報專訊】The New York City Marathon (紐約馬拉松) has 45 years of history. There were only 55 finishers in its first race, but there were nearly 50,000 in last year's. This year's New York City Marathon is scheduled for November 6.

Mysterious number：42.195 km

According to the International Association of Athletics Federations (國際田徑聯會), a marathon's standard distance is 42.195 km. The origin of the name (and length) of marathon is believed to be related to a Greek (希臘的) myth. A soldier is said to have run a similar distance in 490 BC (over 2,000 years ago) from Marathon to Athens (雅典) to announce the Greeks' victory in the Battle of Marathon.

■ Glossary

origin (n) 起源

myth (n) 神話