The marathon is a long distance-foot race with an official distance of 42.195 kilometers that is usually run as a road race. The event is named after the fabled run of the Greek soldier. The Boston Marathon is a big event. Long distance races such as the Boston Marathon are typically large draws. Larger cities' marathons tend to draw celebrities – and they also produce a bump in local consumer spending. Running shoes and running accessories usually see a spike in sales around marathon time, and some people look into an online cash advance to get the gear to participate. The Boston event is the world's oldest marathon race. The incredibly long race format was named after a Greek runner ran from the Battle of Marathon (supposedly, sources conflict) to Athens to announce the Persian defeat and died from exhaustion.