The history of the marathon : 1976-present.

Since the 1976 New York City Marathon, the first 'urban tour' marathon, the sport has exploded on a global basis. Once limited largely to the Olympics, the Boston Marathon and several others, marathons are now held worldwide, with dozens of major cities holding races that attract upwards of 15,000 participants. The growth of women's and masters' age group (>40 years old) marathon racing has been particularly startling.