| Like many of today's action sports, track and field has | | | | believe may have been awards for earlier games at |
| its origins in the first Olympics in Greece. When you | | | | Olympia. Or, if you want to look at the more |
| begin to investigate who invented track and field, you | | | | sophisticated development of track and field, consider |
| find that, again, like soccer, track and field disappeared | | | | the year 1849, in England, when the Royal Military |
| during the "dark" ages, and reappeared with modern | | | | Academy organized their first track and field meet. |
| organization during the 1800's. | | | | Perhaps they should receive credit for who invented |
| Since they did not have jeeps and tanks and trucks in | | | | track and field? |
| the ancient world, soldiers took pride in their athleticism. | | | | Ancient games eventually expanded to include more |
| Running was one of the very first competitive sports, | | | | races, boxing, wrestling, and a pentathlon with five |
| and it is a favorite of today's games as well. There is | | | | running, throwing, and jumping events. In the US, |
| some dispute as to exactly when the Olympic Games | | | | organized track and field events date from the 1860's. |
| began, with a gap in guesses from 776 BC to as early | | | | Collegiate and amateur groups were formed here in |
| as the ninth or tenth century BC. | | | | 1873 and 1888 respectively. Organized sporting events |
| There was a gap in the games as well, during the | | | | for men grew with the first NCAA national |
| Middle Ages. In 1896, they were again held in Athens, | | | | championships in 1921. Women, who had only recently |
| as organizers tried to bring back the ancient tradition. | | | | received suffrage in the US, were included in the |
| One feature of these games was what is now known | | | | games in 1928. Making history, in 1952, the Soviet Union |
| as a "marathon race". It was called "marathon" to | | | | sent its first teams to the Olympics. The fierce |
| honor the run made by Pheidippides in 490 BC from | | | | competition between the USSR and the USA ran for |
| the Greek city of Marathon to Sparta. He ran the | | | | the duration of the Cold War, over the next 30 years. |
| entire day in order to warn fellow soldiers of Persian | | | | In standard Olympic tradition, wars are suspended for |
| invasions at Marathon. That distance was about 149 | | | | the duration to enable all countries to participate in |
| miles; today's races are about 26 miles, considerably | | | | peace. |
| shorter. When London hosted the 1908 Olympics, their | | | | Today, favorite events include multiple sport |
| "marathon" run was 26 miles 385 yards (42,195 | | | | competitions in the Pentathlon (5 sports), Heptathlon (7), |
| kilometers), from starting point to the stadium. | | | | and Decathlon (10). The Athletics Congress (US), and |
| So, if you want to consider who invented track and | | | | the International Amateur Athletics Congress |
| field, you might want to give that honor to Pheidippides. | | | | determine the sporting rules. Games are limited to |
| However, bronze tripods were discovered that | | | | amateurs; professional athletes cannot participate or |
| pre-date his run, to the tenth century BC, that some | | | | they are banned. |