The greatest cities in the world along 26 miles and 385 yards

It is one of the most grueling of all sporting disciplines, yet every year hundreds of thousands of people travel all over the world following months of intensive training to take part in the event knowing full well they will suffer in doing so. The marathon, a race of 26 miles and 385 yards, is run in all four corners of the world and is one of the oldest of the modern day Olympic events. The first man ever to run a marathon, it is fabled, was the Greek messenger Pheidippides, who was sent from the battlefield of Marathon, to announce to the people of Athens that the Persians had been defeated. Legend has it that he ran the entire distance without a break and exclaimed "hail, we are winners" in the assembly, before collapsing and dying. The first modern day marathon was run at the Games of the I Olympiad in Greece in 1896, although the distance was slightly shorter. Today people cover the distance in hundreds of cities around the world for all sorts of reasons: to raise money for charity, to push themselves as far as they can or to mark a change in path in their life. But another great reason to take part in one is to see the best of a foreign city. Here, just days before the London marathon, we take a look at the highlights along the routes of 10 of the world's biggest races. Whether you go to run or cheer, you'll never appreciate a city as much as you will during its marathon! Ready, set, go!