Insights[]
Athens, Greece (also known as GRE) 
Marathon[]
The modern Athens Marathon commemorates the run of the soldier Pheidippides from a battlefield at the site of the town of Marathon, Greece (also known as GRE) 
, to Athensin 490 B.C., bringing news of a Greek victory over the Persians. Legend has it that Pheidippides delivered the momentous message "nenikikamen!" (ne-ni-ki' -ka-men; we are victorious), then collapsed and died, thereby setting a precedent for dramatic conclusions to the marathon.