As you probably know, I only ever run to catch a train, so I’m using  “marathon” here in the sense of very long yet important travel, my MBTA trek into Boston.

The Saga of Marathon, by Nicholas Checker, reimagines the battle of Marathon and the famous runner Pheidippides, who brought the news of the Persian defeat to the Athenians. In this retelling, Pheidippides is a teenager living in Athens, although he’s not a full, voting citizen, and his desire to be accepted as an Athenian plays into his motivations here. This is kind of the historical fiction gap — historians don’t know that much about Pheidippides besides his dramatic run, so we don’t know that this wasn’t the truth.

The Greek Gods play a role in this story, too. This works surprisingly well with efforts for historical accuracy, because the capricious gods play a role in the ancient epics, sometimes supporting and sometimes destroying human goals.

I have a special affection for the historical story of Pheidippides, because my Greek history professor told our class about how he wanted to re-enact this run (well, not the tragic end, obvs), and he set out running a straight line between Marathon and Athens, and stopping only when he bumped into a military training base and suddenly had a lot of explaining to do. (He might have been messing with us, but it’s the story we all remember best about him. That, and his epic battle with the Anthropology department. )

Are you a runner? Have you ever run a marathon? Or are you a member of the no-running club?

I received a copy of this novel through BookInfluencers. Opinions on my blog are always my own.