It was this poem which inspired Baron Pierre de Coubertin and other founders of the modern Olympic Games to invent a running race of 42 km called the Marathon.
The story is controversial for anyone who suspects that Athenians would more likely have sent the messenger on horseback. However, it may have been possible that they used a runner, as a horse's movements would have been hindered by the rocky, mountainous terrain. Furthermore, humans are unusually good distance runners. Most animals tend to collapse of hyperthermia (which in humans is called heat exhaustion) after 10 to 15 km (6 to 9 miles).[12] Horses are most effectively used as couriers over long distances when they can be switched out at way-points a relatively short distance apart, such as with the American Pony Express mail service.
In any case, no such story appears in Herodotus. The relevant passage of Herodotus (Histories, Book VI, 105...106 →[13]) is: