A garden marathon is in the oldest traditions of the sport. In 1908, Dorando Pietri and Johnny Hayes raced a marathon inside at Madison Square Garden over 262 laps, watched by a riotous sell-out crowd. That event cemented 26.2 miles as *the* distance. 1/ https://twitter.com/guywalters/status/1254127290096779264

Even weirder short-course marathons followed. In 1909, Pietri raced a marathon over 524 laps of a 90-yard course at the Albert Hall. An Italian tenor entertained the crowd while Pietri and CW Gardiner ran in circles. Gardiner won. Pietri retired after 400 laps, with blisters. 2/2

More info for the curious here: https://www.newyorker.com/news/sporting-scene/how-new-york-city-made-the-modern-marathon

Go Tom!