From running for prey to winning medals – the history of running
Whether we run to keep fit, to be active, to do physical activity or to prepare for a sports competition, one thing is certain: we are helping our health, our body and our spirit. In one of our previous articles we listed the numerous benefits that running brings, but have you ever wondered how it even came about that people started running and using that way of moving as a form of physical activity? Not every day, but it happens to all of us that we run for a bus, for the green light at a crossing, in a hurry or for any other reason, but that does not mean we are physically active.
Running reaches far back into human history, and the first records of this form of movement date from 2.6 million years ago, when the ancestors of modern humans developed this kind of ability, presumably in order to hunt animals and actively follow and chase prey until it became too exhausted to escape. In this way humans developed the nuchal (neck) ligament, the sweat gland, the Achilles tendon, the knee joint and the largest buttock muscle, on which changes occurred as a result of such activities.
Competitive running first developed during religious competitions in Greece, Egypt, Asia and Africa. One of them was the Irish festival the “Tailteann Games” of 1829, at which running appeared almost for the first time as a sporting discipline. The origin of running is also linked to numerous ancient games and marathons, myths and legends, and the first recorded running competition took place in 776 BC.
The half marathon is an athletics discipline in which 21.09 kilometres must be run, which is half the length of a standard marathon race. Such a race is most often organised on roads in cities or their immediate surroundings; year after year it is an increasingly popular sporting event, and one of the main reasons cited is the challenge, because it does not require great endurance, dedication or too much investment of time in preparation, unlike a marathon.
Some of the most popular events related to the half marathon are the World Half Marathon Championships, the Belgrade Half Marathon, the Great North Run, the Bristol Half Marathon, the Chicago Half Marathon, the New York Half Marathon, the Rotterdam Half Marathon, the Stockholm Half Marathon and the Warsaw Half Marathon, while the Subotica Half Marathon, for which registration is well under way and lasts until exactly noon on 16 August 2024, gathers more and more participants year after year and threatens to become one of the biggest sporting events in our country. Races of 5, 10 and 21.1 kilometres are available to you, and you can find all additional information here.