{"podcast":{"title":"History Dispatches","slug":"history-dispatches-7236148","podcast_index_feed_id":7236148,"rss_url":"https://feeds.megaphone.fm/ARML6613457202","website_url":"https://historydispatches.com","image_url":"https://megaphone.imgix.net/podcasts/1607f9de-dabb-11ef-a28f-837d166c2ed7/image/2311d0d11b0bdda63fef19e10a34c43c.jpg?ixlib=rails-4.3.1&max-w=3000&max-h=3000&fit=crop&auto=format,compress","author":"Matt and McKinley Breen","episode_count":351,"summary":"History Dispatches is a daily history show hosted by father and son duo Matt and McKinley Breen. The show covers people, places, events and even objects from throughout history. While any topic is fair game, Matt and McKinley hold a soft spot for the offbeat and wacky stories that most people don’t know about.","last_synced_at":"2026-07-22T16:20:59.234463+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/history-dispatches-7236148"},"episode":{"title":"History of the Marathon","slug":"history-of-the-marathon","published_at":"2026-05-07T07:10:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/history-dispatches-7236148/history-of-the-marathon","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/history-dispatches-7236148","url":"https://pdrl.fm/ccb7c9/rss.pdrl.fm/ccb7c9/tracking.swap.fm/track/YfZO4tERxneauNcW9Fgn/mgln.ai/e/211/traffic.megaphone.fm/ARML8078776379.mp3?updated=1777824044","audio_url":"https://pdrl.fm/ccb7c9/rss.pdrl.fm/ccb7c9/tracking.swap.fm/track/YfZO4tERxneauNcW9Fgn/mgln.ai/e/211/traffic.megaphone.fm/ARML8078776379.mp3?updated=1777824044","summary":"Running a marathon is extremely impressive feat, but still fully attainable by most people with some grit and dedication. But its distance - at 26.22 miles or 42.195 km - is a little bit odd. So, why is the marathon as long as it is? That history goes back to a battle fought in ancient Greece, an army running a long distance, and some British royalty wanting to see the start of the race in 1908. This is the history of the marathon. Sources https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marathon https://web.archive.org/web/20080924220856/http://www.european-athletics.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=6235&Itemid=2 Image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Phidippides.jpg Sponsor Go to factormeals.com/dispatchespod50off to get 50 percent off and free daily greens per box. New subscribers only. While supplies last until 09/27/2026. (See website for more details). History Dispatches is part of the Airwave Media Network: www.airwavemedia.com Interested in advertising on History Dispatches? Email us at advertising@airwavemedia.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices","meta_description":"Running a marathon is extremely impressive feat, but still fully attainable by most people with some grit and dedication. But its distance - at 26.22 mile…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":1132,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/history-dispatches-7236148/episodes/history-of-the-marathon/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/history-dispatches-7236148/history-of-the-marathon.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}