marathon

Universal Words noun 1 a long running race of about 42 kilometres or 26 miles: the London marathon * to run a marathon 2 an activity or a piece of work that lasts a long time and requires a lot of effort and patience: My job interview was a real marathon. ORIGIN From the story that in ancient Greece a messenger ran from Marathon to Athens (22 miles) with the news of a victory over the Persians. marathon adjective [onlybeforenoun]: a marathon journey lasting 56 hours * a marathon legal battle