Running in Ancient Greece
Encyclopedia
The history of Greek running
Running
Running is a means of terrestrial locomotion allowing humans and other animals to move rapidly on foot. It is simply defined in athletics terms as a gait in which at regular points during the running cycle both feet are off the ground...

 goes back to 776 BC. Running was important to members of ancient Greek
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....

 society, and is consistently highlighted in documents referencing the Olympic Games. The Olympic Games
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...

 hosted a large variety of running events, each with their own set of rules. The ancient Greeks
Greeks
The Greeks, also known as the Hellenes , are a nation and ethnic group native to Greece, Cyprus and neighboring regions. They also form a significant diaspora, with Greek communities established around the world....

 developed difficult training programs with specialized trainers in preparation for the Games. The training and competitive attitude of Greek athletes gives insight to how scientifically advanced Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....

 was for the time.

The people of Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....

 loved sporting events, particularly foot racing, and rich admirers would often give large gifts to successful athletes. Though foot races were physically challenging, if successful, athletes could become very wealthy. The ancient Greeks
Greeks
The Greeks, also known as the Hellenes , are a nation and ethnic group native to Greece, Cyprus and neighboring regions. They also form a significant diaspora, with Greek communities established around the world....

 developed running as a sport into a sophisticated field of science and philosophy.

In these sources training is often discussed, however, details about how the training of runners compared to the training of other types of athletes are not clearly addressed. In ancient Greece athletes may not have been as specialized as they are today. It is likely that a single athlete would have trained for and competed in many different events, resulting in less distinction being drawn between training for different events. Many philosophers had ideas about how athletes should train, which provides historians with a lot of insight. For example, Plato
Plato
Plato , was a Classical Greek philosopher, mathematician, student of Socrates, writer of philosophical dialogues, and founder of the Academy in Athens, the first institution of higher learning in the Western world. Along with his mentor, Socrates, and his student, Aristotle, Plato helped to lay the...

 argued that the whole body should be trained to increase strength and speed for running and wrestling (Stefanović et al. 113). The lengths and types of foot races are widely written. Also discussed in a variety of sources is the use of music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...

 in athletic training, and the diet of athletes.

Early Olympic Games

The earliest Olympic Games
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...

 involved the best warriors competing in a of variety events. The warriors did not have any specialized training for the Olympics. Each poleis in ancient Greece had its own training program for soldiers which was the only preparation they had. However, to train for war the ancient Greeks would exercise the whole body, which is a principle that many later ancient Greek athletes lived by. The first Olympians believed that in order to have a harmonious body, the entire body must be trained, which would result in fierce warriors and strong athletes. Aristotle
Aristotle
Aristotle was a Greek philosopher and polymath, a student of Plato and teacher of Alexander the Great. His writings cover many subjects, including physics, metaphysics, poetry, theater, music, logic, rhetoric, linguistics, politics, government, ethics, biology, and zoology...

 later said that the training of the whole body infuses it with courage (Stefanović et al. 113).

Types of Foot Races

There were many lengths and types of foot races in ancient Greece. The standard distance that these races were measured in was the stade. (One stadia is approximately 185 meters.) The one stade race was the most prestigious; the mythical founder of the Olympic Games could allegedly run it in one breath. Other running events included a two stade race, and the diolicho, which was a long distance race that was 20 or 24 stades long, or about two and a half miles. For races longer than one stade, runners would have to turn 180 degrees around a post at each of the two ends of the stadium (Flaceliere 106).

Also in the Olympics was a race in armor which reflected the games origins as a means for training for warfare. The torch relay race was added to entertain the crowds. This event was run the night before the ancient Olympic Games began (Olympic Sports- Foot Races). Today we honor this tradition with the Olympic torch. One event that was not ever in the ancient Olympic Games is the marathon. What is called a marathon today gets its name from the 280 mile distance covered by the runner Pheidippides
Pheidippides
Pheidippides , hero of Ancient Greece, is the central figure in a story which was the inspiration for a modern sporting event, the marathon.-The story:...

 over the course of three to four days from Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...

 to Sparta
Sparta
Sparta or Lacedaemon, was a prominent city-state in ancient Greece, situated on the banks of the River Eurotas in Laconia, in south-eastern Peloponnese. It emerged as a political entity around the 10th century BC, when the invading Dorians subjugated the local, non-Dorian population. From c...

 and then back to Marathon
Marathon
The marathon is a long-distance running event with an official distance of 42.195 kilometres , that is usually run as a road race...

 in 490 BCE. He was sent to gain the help of the Spartans against the attack of the Persian army in Marathon
Marathon
The marathon is a long-distance running event with an official distance of 42.195 kilometres , that is usually run as a road race...

. In 1896, at the first modern Olympics, the very first day modern marathon was run. To honour the history of Greek running, Greece chose a course that would mimic the route run by Pheidippides. The race course covered 24.85 miles. The route started at a bridge in the town of Marathon and ended in the Olympic stadium reference perseus project
Perseus Project
The Perseus Project is a digital library project of Tufts University that assembles digital collections of humanities resources. It is hosted by the Department of Classics. It has suffered at times from computer hardware problems, and its resources are occasionally unavailable...

. Another event in the ancient Olympic Games was the pentathlon
Pentathlon
A pentathlon is a contest featuring five different events. The name is derived from Greek: combining the words pente and -athlon . The first pentathlon was documented in Ancient Greece and was part of the Ancient Olympic Games...

. The pentathlon
Pentathlon
A pentathlon is a contest featuring five different events. The name is derived from Greek: combining the words pente and -athlon . The first pentathlon was documented in Ancient Greece and was part of the Ancient Olympic Games...

 was a combination of five events; discus
Discus
Discus, "disk" in Latin, may refer to:* Discus , a progressive rock band from Indonesia* Discus , a fictional character from the Marvel Comics Universe and enemy of Luke Cage* Discus , a freshwater fish popular with aquarium keepers...

, javelin
Javelin
A Javelin is a light spear intended for throwing. It is commonly known from the modern athletic discipline, the Javelin throw.Javelin may also refer to:-Aviation:* ATG Javelin, an American-Israeli civil jet aircraft, under development...

, jumping
Jumping
Jumping or leaping is a form of locomotion or movement in which an organism or non-living mechanical system propels itself through the air along a ballistic trajectory...

, running
Running
Running is a means of terrestrial locomotion allowing humans and other animals to move rapidly on foot. It is simply defined in athletics terms as a gait in which at regular points during the running cycle both feet are off the ground...

 and wrestling
Wrestling
Wrestling is a form of grappling type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. A wrestling bout is a physical competition, between two competitors or sparring partners, who attempt to gain and maintain a superior position...

. This race reflected the ancient Greek belief that one’s body should be strong as a whole and not just in one area. Aristotle
Aristotle
Aristotle was a Greek philosopher and polymath, a student of Plato and teacher of Alexander the Great. His writings cover many subjects, including physics, metaphysics, poetry, theater, music, logic, rhetoric, linguistics, politics, government, ethics, biology, and zoology...

 describes a man’s ultimate physical beauty as a body capable of enduring all challenges. This is why he viewed the athletes in the pentathlon
Pentathlon
A pentathlon is a contest featuring five different events. The name is derived from Greek: combining the words pente and -athlon . The first pentathlon was documented in Ancient Greece and was part of the Ancient Olympic Games...

 as the most beautiful (Running).

Training

As ancient Greece
Ancient Greece
Ancient Greece is a civilization belonging to a period of Greek history that lasted from the Archaic period of the 8th to 6th centuries BC to the end of antiquity. Immediately following this period was the beginning of the Early Middle Ages and the Byzantine era. Included in Ancient Greece is the...

 developed, sports also developed. Athletics in ancient Greece became a very scientific and philosophical field of study and practice. Many philosophers had their own ideas about how athletes should train. By the fourth century BCE sports in ancient Greece became so competitive and advanced that specialized coaches developed for each particular sport. These coaches were known as gymnastis. Along with specialized coaches, a new system of training was developed, the tetras. This was a four day cycle of varying training. The tetras had the following structure:
  • Day One- the day of preparations. It consisted of toning and short,high-intensity workouts.
  • Day Two- the day of intensity. It involved the athlete going through long, strenuous exercises.
  • Day Three- the day of resting. On this day athletes would do short mild workouts and primarily rest.
  • Day Four- the day of medium intensity. Athletes mainly practiced wrestling on this day, focusing more on tactics than strength.


This was the basic training structure practiced throughout ancient Greece. In order to create the optimal training structure for any given day however, the trainers would consider many factors such as the place, the time, upcoming events, and the athlete’s physical and mental condition. The training also differed depending on whether it was done indoors or outdoors. Based on these factors the trainer would adjust the workout (Stefanović et al. 113).

Trainers and Philosophers

Hippocrates
Hippocrates
Hippocrates of Cos or Hippokrates of Kos was an ancient Greek physician of the Age of Pericles , and is considered one of the most outstanding figures in the history of medicine...

, an ancient Greek physician, believed that athletes who walked after exercising would have a stronger and more rested body. Because of his beliefs, ancient Greek athletes ended each workout with a low intensity cool down. This shows that even without modern equipment, the ancient Greeks understood that the body recovers faster with recovery exercises such as walking, instead of passive recovery including sitting and lying down. Aristotle
Aristotle
Aristotle was a Greek philosopher and polymath, a student of Plato and teacher of Alexander the Great. His writings cover many subjects, including physics, metaphysics, poetry, theater, music, logic, rhetoric, linguistics, politics, government, ethics, biology, and zoology...

 observed that athletes who have a rest day should not rest completely, but do a mild, low intensity workout instead. These practices are still in use today because of how well-founded the early principles were (Stefanović et al. 112).

The ancient Greeks also valued rest after exercising. After a workout, athletes used their aryballos
Aryballos
An aryballos was a small spherical or globular flask with a narrow neck used in Ancient Greece. It was used to contain perfume or oil, and is often depicted in vase paintings as being used by athletes bathing...

, a special bottle of oil, and a strigil
Strigil
A strigil was a small, curved, metal tool used in ancient Greece and Rome to scrape dirt and sweat from the body before effective soaps became available. First perfumed oil was applied to the skin, and then it would be scraped off, along with the dirt. For wealthier people, this process was often...

, which is a curved stick. They would rub the oil on their skin and then scrape it off using the strigil
Strigil
A strigil was a small, curved, metal tool used in ancient Greece and Rome to scrape dirt and sweat from the body before effective soaps became available. First perfumed oil was applied to the skin, and then it would be scraped off, along with the dirt. For wealthier people, this process was often...

. In this way they would clean themselves (The Olympic Games 5). After exercising they also often had a bath, and a massage. Massages would consist of gentle movements and stretching of their arms and legs (Stefanović et al. 112).

Trainers and philosophers had many ideas about specific ways of training. One practice that developed had athletes exercise with 3 pound weights in each hand. This practice helped improve arm strength which is beneficial for running, throwing the javelin, swimming, and martial arts. Lucian, an ancient Greek philosopher postulated another principle. He believed athletes should always train in “exuberated conditions.” His idea was that training should take place outdoors in the sun every day of the year. He thought that the body should be beautiful, tanned, and lean to perform its best. During workouts he believed athletes should work as hard as possible. When training in the gymnasium, his idea was that one should not run or exercise on the stone floor, but on sand instead to add difficulty. An exercise he invented involved a long jump where athletes would run and jump high into the air wearing weighted suspenders. Another exercise he developed was for athletes to jump over hurdles with lead weights in their hands (Stefanović et al. 114).

Tribes

In ancient Greece, a group of athletes and coaches who trained together would have been referred to as a tribe. In a single tribe, there may have been many athletes that trained in the same sport or different sports. A certain length of time before the Olympic Games
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...

 a coach would be selected for each event that that tribe wanted to compete in. For instance, the coach for the relay race with lit torches would be selected. They would then decide which athletes in their tribe would be the most suited for that event and therefore they would be chosen to compete. If more than one coach selected a particular athlete, then that athlete would compete in multiple events (Stefanović et al.113).

Age Categories

The ancient Greeks divided athletes into three age categories similarly to what is done today. Each age category would have its separate set of coaches. The training programs for each age level varied, growing increasingly strenuous the older the athletes were. Certain coaches were selected to scout for young boys who looked particularly strong and fit. These boys would be selected to start training with the young men as soon as they were old enough (Stefanović et al.113).

Diet

Along with developing training programs and stretching exercises, the ancient Greeks also introduced special diet
Diet (nutrition)
In nutrition, diet is the sum of food consumed by a person or other organism. Dietary habits are the habitual decisions an individual or culture makes when choosing what foods to eat. With the word diet, it is often implied the use of specific intake of nutrition for health or weight-management...

 to athletes a. Most people in ancient Greece only ate meat during Religious Festivals. Only the rich could have afforded it on a regular basis, but meat was still just a minor part of their diet. Fruits, vegetables, and grain
Food grain
thumb|150px|Barleythumb|150px|LentilGrains are small, hard, dry seeds harvested for human food or animal feed Agronomists also call the plants producing such seeds grains or grain crops....

s grew very well in Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....

 and were the primary part of everyone's diet up until fifth century BCE. At that time trainers recognized that meat was key in building muscle. At this same point in history, sports were becoming increasingly popular and athletes were given large gifts by rich admirers. Because of these gifts athletes were able to afford lots of meat. Today, scientific advancements allow trainers to prescribe specific diets to athletes, but even in ancient times without modern scientific knowledge the Greeks were able to recognize food’s beneficial effects on an athlete’s diet (Briers 12-13).

Music

Ancient Greeks believed that training and music should be experienced together because they both pleased man’s spirit. Music was used both in training and in competition. Each gymnasium had at least one aulos
Aulos
An aulos or tibia was an ancient Greek wind instrument, depicted often in art and also attested by archaeology.An aulete was the musician who performed on an aulos...

 player. The aulos
Aulos
An aulos or tibia was an ancient Greek wind instrument, depicted often in art and also attested by archaeology.An aulete was the musician who performed on an aulos...

 player’s job was to produce rhythmical music in order to help the athletes, particularly when warming up. The athletes were supposed to focus primarily on accurately performing the exercises according to their trainer’s advice; however, music was a key part of their warm up (Stefanović et al.112).

Over Training

Although most people in ancient Greece like sports, not all philosophers thought that intense training was good. Aristotle
Aristotle
Aristotle was a Greek philosopher and polymath, a student of Plato and teacher of Alexander the Great. His writings cover many subjects, including physics, metaphysics, poetry, theater, music, logic, rhetoric, linguistics, politics, government, ethics, biology, and zoology...

 believed that fitness should be a part of children’s education, but that over training was bad. In ancient Greece, there were 4 main parts to education: reading, writing, gymnastic exercises, and music. Aristotle
Aristotle
Aristotle was a Greek philosopher and polymath, a student of Plato and teacher of Alexander the Great. His writings cover many subjects, including physics, metaphysics, poetry, theater, music, logic, rhetoric, linguistics, politics, government, ethics, biology, and zoology...

 thought that an appropriate amount of exercise was a key part of education, however he recognized how much some athletes over-trained. Aristotle
Aristotle
Aristotle was a Greek philosopher and polymath, a student of Plato and teacher of Alexander the Great. His writings cover many subjects, including physics, metaphysics, poetry, theater, music, logic, rhetoric, linguistics, politics, government, ethics, biology, and zoology...

 referred to the excessive training that many competitive athletes did as “evil” (Stefanović et al. 113).

Effects of Ancient Olympics on Modern World

The ancient Greeks pioneered athletics thousands of years ago with trial and error as their only method for gaining knowledge. With pure reason, men like Hippocrates, Aristotle, and Plato developed such advanced ideas that the modern world has been able to make only a few significant advancements. These ancient Greek philosophers postulated many ideas on how to train that are now the basis of many modern athletic events. Trainers also made many advancements such as their discovery that meat was necessary for building muscle. Not only did the ancient Greeks develop the theory of how to train, but they founded the prestigious Olympic Games
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...

. The ancient Olympic Games were ended in 393 CE by Theodosius I
Theodosius I
Theodosius I , also known as Theodosius the Great, was Roman Emperor from 379 to 395. Theodosius was the last emperor to rule over both the eastern and the western halves of the Roman Empire. During his reign, the Goths secured control of Illyricum after the Gothic War, establishing their homeland...

 while trying to make Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...

 the state religion
State religion
A state religion is a religious body or creed officially endorsed by the state...

 (Craig 87). Today the Olympic Games
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...

have been restored with over 12,000 athletes that compete at the Summer and Winter Olympics in 31 different sports and nearly 400 events (Craig 102).
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