Athletics at The 1908 Summer Olympics – Men's Marathon - Aftermath

Aftermath

The dramatic finish of the 1908 Olympic marathon led to worldwide marathon fever. In a postcard sent at the time, an American spectator said he had "just seen the greatest race of the century." Since Pietri himself had not been responsible for his disqualification Queen Alexandra the next day awarded him a gold or silver-gilt cup in recognition of his achievement.

Pietri and Hayes both turned professional and there were several re-matches over the distance of 26 miles 385 yards. Many other marathons adopted that distance, including the important Polytechnic Marathon. The IAAF minutes are reportedly silent as to the reason the 26 miles 385 yards (42.195 km) was chosen in 1921, so any conclusion must be speculative, but regardless of any possible emotional attachment to the distance of the "race of the century", the London 1908 distance had established itself worldwide by that time.

Marathons became an annual event in London following the 1908 Olympics. The Polytechnic Marathon was held each year until 1996.

Il sogno del maratoneta is an Italian book and TV movie about Pietri's run.