Curious Minute answer
What is the official marathon distance?
The answer
42.195 kilometers
The answer was 42.195 kilometers. Here's the why, the decoys, and the source trail.
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Why it's right
A marathon covers 42.195 kilometers, or 26 miles and 385 yards. The distance was standardized in 1921.
About the choices
A good question makes the wrong answers feel close. Here is the clean read on the set.
- 40 kilometers - a decoy; it may live near the same topic, but it does not answer this exact clue.
- 41.5 kilometers - a decoy; it may live near the same topic, but it does not answer this exact clue.
- 42.195 kilometers - correct answer.
- 44.2 kilometers - a decoy; it may live near the same topic, but it does not answer this exact clue.
What to remember
42.195 kilometers is the one to remember. A marathon covers 42.195 kilometers, or 26 miles and 385 yards. The first modern Olympic marathon in 1896 was approximately 40 kilometers.
How readers answered
A20%
B0%
C60%
D20%
One more thing.
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Sources: World Athletics - Marathon