''Stadion'' or ''stade'' () was an ancient running event and also the faciliity in which it took place, as part of

Panhellenic Games Panhellenic Games is the collective term for four separate religious festivals held in ancient Greece that became especially well known for the athletic competitions they included. The four festivals were: the Ancient Olympic Games, Olympic Games, ...

including the

Ancient Olympic Games The ancient Olympic Games (, ''ta Olympia''.), or the ancient Olympics, were a series of Athletics (sport), athletic competitions among representatives of polis, city-states and one of the Panhellenic Games of ancient Greece. They were held at ...

. The event was one of the five major

Pentathlon A pentathlon is a contest featuring five events. The name is derived from Greek language, Greek: combining the words ''pente'' (five) and -''athlon'' (competition) (). The first pentathlon was documented in Ancient Greece and was part of the Anci ...

events and the premier event of the ''gymnikos agon'' (γυμνικὸς ἀγών "nude competition"). From the years 776 to 724 BC, the ''stadion'' was the only event at the Olympic Games. The victor (the first of whom was

Coroebus of Elis Coroebus of Elis (, ''Kóroibos Ēleîos''; fl. c. 776 BC) was a Greek cook, baker, and athlete from Elis. He is remembered as the winner (, ''olympioníkes'') of the first recorded Olympics, which consisted of a single footrace known as the ...

) gave his name to the entire four-year Olympiad, allowing modern knowledge of nearly all of them. The ''stadion'' was named after the facility in which it took place. This word became ''stadium'' in

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

, which became the English "

stadium A stadium (: stadiums or stadia) is a place or venue for (mostly) outdoor sports, concerts, or other events and consists of a field or stage completely or partially surrounded by a tiered structure designed to allow spectators to stand or sit ...

". The race also gave its name to the unit of length, the stadion. There were other types of running events, but the ''stadion'' was the most prestigious; the winner was often considered to be the winner of an entire Games. Though a separate event, the ''stadion'' was also part of the ancient

. At the Olympic Games, the ''stadion'' (facility) was big enough for 20 competitors, and the race was a sprint about long. The race began with a trumpet blow, with officials (the ἀγωνοθέται ''agonothetai'') at the start to make sure there were no false starts. There were also officials at the end to decide on a winner and to make sure no one had cheated. If the officials decided there was a tie, the race would be re-run. Runners started the race from a standing position, probably with their arms stretched out in front of them, instead of starting in a crouch like modern runners. They ran naked on a packed earth track. By the fifth century, the track was marked by a stone-starting line, the ''balbis''. Advancements in this stone starting block led to it having a set of double grooves ( apart) in which the runner placed his toes. The design of these grooves were intended to give the runner leverage for his start.Miller, p. 35

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Stadion (Running Race) Ancient Olympic sports Events in track and field Sprint (running) Extinct sports

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