DEAR SOPHIA,

THERE IS AN OLD SAYING, IT’S A MARATHON NOT A SPRINT.

THE DISTANCE OF A MARATHON IS 26.2 MILES. I HAVE BEEN TO MARATHON AND I WILL TAKE YOU THERE. THERE ARE MARATHON RACES ALL OVER THE WORLD AND PEOPLE DON’T REALLY KNOW THE HISTORY BEHIND THIS RACE. WELL, YOU GUESSED IT. IT’S ROOTS ARE GREEK:

The marathon is a long-distance footrace that originated from the legend of Pheidippides, a Greek messenger who ran from the Battle of Marathon to Athens in 490 BC to announce the Athenian victory over the Persians. The story of Pheidippides’ run, which included the message “Nike”, meaning “Victory”, is first recorded in Plutarch’s On the Glory of Athens in the 1st century AD. The legend says that Pheidippides ran without stopping and died shortly after delivering the news.

WE RUN THIS MARATHON EVENT TO PAY TRIBUTE TO THE MESSENGER WHO ACCOMPLISHED SOMETHING THEN WHICH CHANGED THE COURSE OF HISTORY. THE REASON WHY IT WAS SO IMPORTANT THAT HE DELIVER THE MESSAGE AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE WAS AT THAT TIME THERE WERE NO PHONES OR OTHER WAYS TO COMMUNICATE. IF THE PERSIANS HAD SENT A MESSENGER THE FALSE MESSAGE OF DEFEAT, ATHENS WOULD HAVE PANICKED. HISTORY IS SOMETIMES WRITTEN BY EVENTS THAT YOU DON’T THINK WILL HAVE ANY IMPACT BUT THEY DO.

IN MY CASE, IT’S BEEN A MARATHON. IT WILL HAVE AN IMPACT IN WAYS THAT THE JUDGE NEVER CONTEMPLATED.

STAY SAFE, THE HOURGLASS HAS LESS SAND IN IT.

143.

LOVE,

DAD