According to Herodotus, a historian writing within a lifetime of the actual battle this Phidippides guy did his running before the fight, not after it.
It came from the story in the 5th century B. C. how a herald named Phidippides ran26 miles from Marathon to Athens to announce the Greek victory and died on the spot.
It came from the story in the 5th century B. C. how a herald named Phidippides ran the 26 miles from Marathon to Athens to announce the Greek victory and died on the spot.