Correct Option: C

The marathon is a long-distance running event with an official distance of 42.195 kilometres (26 miles and 385 yards), that is usually run as a road race. The event was instituted in commemoration of the fabled run of the Greek soldier Pheidippides, a messenger from the Battle of Marathon, to Athens. The marathon was one of the original modern Olympic events in 1896, though the distance did not become standardized until 1921.