What is the standard distance of a marathon race?
- A.40 km
- B.42.195 km
- C.45 km
- D.50 km
Correct answer
Explanation
The correct answer is B, 42.195 km. A marathon is run over 42.195 kilometres, which is exactly 26 miles and 385 yards. The odd figure was fixed at the London Olympics of 1908, when the course was extended to finish in front of the royal box, and it became the official distance a few years later.
Option A, 40 km, is close to the distance of the earliest marathons of the 1890s but is not the standard today. Option C, 45 km, matches no athletics event at all. Option D, 50 km, was for many years the longer of the two Olympic race-walking distances, which is why it appears here as a distractor, but walking and the marathon are separate events. A half marathon, worth remembering with this, is 21.0975 kilometres, and the marathon is a road event, not a track event.
Read the full article: Athletics and Indian Athletes: Events and Facts
Practice Questions
View allIn which of the following sports of Tokyo Olympic 2020, Neeraj Chopra won the gold medal?
- A.Javelin throw
- B.Badminton
- C.Tennis
- D.Weight lifting
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Neeraj Chopra won the men's javelin throw at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, which were held in 2021, and that medal was India's first Olympic gold in athletics and its first individual gold since shooting in 2008.
Read the full explanation →Which Indian athlete was popularly known as the Flying Sikh?
- A.Gurbachan Singh Randhawa
- B.Milkha Singh
- C.Sriram Singh
- D.Joginder Singh
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He earned the name in Pakistan after beating the home favourite at a meet in Lahore, and it stayed with him.
Read the full explanation →The Indian athlete P. T. Usha is popularly called
- A.Dhing Express
- B.Payyoli Express
- C.Golden Girl of Kerala
- D.Udan Pari
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P. T. Usha comes from Payyoli in the Kozhikode district of Kerala, and her speed on the track earned her the name of her village.
Read the full explanation →How many events make up the decathlon?
- A.Seven
- B.Eight
- C.Ten
- D.Twelve
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The word decathlon is built from the Greek deca, meaning ten, and athlon, meaning contest. It is a men's combined event held over two days, and its ten disciplines take in sprints, hurdles, the middle-distance 1500 metres, jumps and throws.
Read the full explanation →The steeplechase in athletics is run over a distance of
- A.1500 metres
- B.2000 metres
- C.3000 metres
- D.5000 metres
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The Olympic steeplechase is a 3000-metre race in which runners clear solid barriers and a water jump on every lap.
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