Running in Ancient Greece
In Ancient Greece, the history of running can be traced back to 776 BC. Running was important to members of ancient Greek society, and is consistently highlighted in documents referencing the Ancient Olympic Games. The stadion, for example, was so important that "[t]he Olympiad would be named after the victor, and since history itself was dated by the Games, it was he who thus gained the purest dose of immortality." The Olympic Games hosted a large variety of running events, each with its own set of rules.
Source: Wikipedia — Running in Ancient Greece (CC BY-SA 4.0)