Why he wasn't sent on horseback, no one knows. But of course, that would have precluded the myth.
So romantic was his death and fabled run, millions of punters emulate the feat every year with a 42.195km shuffle.
Almost to the metre, that's the distance between Hastings and Waipawa, in Central Hawke's Bay.
Notwithstanding the inherent dangers, the chaffing, the end of the glycogen reserves after about 30km, blisters, musculoskeletal shock and cardiac stress, the torment is apparently mitigated by the beautiful environs of wine country.
Air New Zealand announced this week it had partnered with Lagardre Unlimited Oceania to bring the country's newest international marathon to the region. At yesterday's launch it was claimed this would be a "hybrid course", with the run likely to start on Napier's Marine Parade and traverse a mix of roads, cycleways and private land before finishing at Sileni Estates Winery.
It's a scenic route - and well worth the pain.
Besides, the alluring thing about marathons is that 95 per cent of participants aren't in it to win. This heroic Greek tragedy is Hawke's Bay's victory.
