The Marathon has been an Olympic distance since the modern Olympics started in 1896, but nothing like it was ever seen in the ancient Olympics, run from 776BC to 261AD. The Boston Marathon is a big event.  Long distance races such as the Boston Marathon are typically large draws. Larger cities’ marathons tend to draw celebrities â?? and they also produce a bump in local consumer spending.  Running shoes and running accessories usually see a spike in sales around marathon time, and some people look into an online cash advance to get the gear to participate.  The Boston event is the world’s oldest marathon race.  The incredibly long race format was named after a Greek runner ran from the Battle of Marathon (supposedly, sources conflict) to Athens to announce the Persian defeat and died from exhaustion.  Many get short-term loans to participate in the Boston Marathon.