What it means
ماراتن (mârâton) is the Persian form of the word marathon, the long-distance road race of 42.195 kilometres. The word entered Persian through European languages, ultimately from the ancient Greek place name Marathôn, the site of the famous Battle of Marathon in 490 BCE. According to tradition, a Greek messenger named Pheidippides ran from Marathon to Athens to announce the Greek victory over the Persians, a story that gave birth to the modern race. Persian borrowed the term in its European form, and it is used in exactly the same sense as in English: both for the athletic event and, in everyday speech, as a metaphor for any long, exhausting effort. There is no native Persian equivalent.
How to use it
- میخوام ماراتن تهران رو بدوم. (mikhâm mârâton-e Tehrân ro bedavam.) “I want to run the Tehran marathon.”
- آماده کردن برای ماراتن چند ماه طول میکشه. (âmâde kardan barâye mârâton chand mâh tul mikeshe.) “Preparing for a marathon takes several months.”
- این جلسه یه ماراتن واقعی بود. (in jalase ye mârâton-e vâqei bud.) “This meeting was a real marathon.”
- اولین ماراتنم رو توی دو ساعت تموم کردم. (avvalin mârâtonam ro tuye do sâat tamum kardam.) “I finished my first marathon in two hours.”
Cultural note
The Tehran International Marathon is one of the largest running events in Iran, attracting thousands of participants from across the country. Road running and marathon training communities have grown significantly in Iranian cities in recent years, with dedicated running clubs and social media groups coordinating group training sessions. For women, public road racing has had regulatory restrictions, though these have varied over time. The word ماراتن is also widely used in Persian media as a metaphor for prolonged negotiations, a long work day, or any drawn-out process.