The Toronto Marathon, held annually in October, is a race from Mel Lastman Square, in the north end of Toronto, to Queen's Park. The race was initially called the Canadian International Marathon, and was first held in 1995 under its current organizer. The origins of the event trace back to 1977. In 2003, its name was changed to the Toronto Marathon. In 2008, it was again renamed for a new primary sponsor, GoodLife Fitness. It is held on the third Sunday in October, the first Sunday after Canadian Thanksgiving. Because of concerns that the Toronto Waterfront Marathon being held three weeks prior leads to too many road closures, the Toronto Marathon will be run in May, beginning in 2011.
In addition to a full marathon, the event also includes a half marathon, a 5-K run, and an eight-person relay across the marathon course. The marathon meets international standards and is a qualifier for the Boston Marathon. 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 (the namesake of the race) to Athens.
The marathon was one of the original modern Olympic events in 1896, though the distance did not become standardized until 1921. More than 500 marathons are contested throughout the world each year, with the vast majority of competitors being recreational athletes. Larger marathons can have tens of thousands of participants
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