THE world's top distance runners will be going for gold when the men's marathon rounds off the Olympics in Sydney.

But while sports fans will be glued to the box for one of the most gladiatorial of the Olympic events, few will probably realise that without towns like Bolton it might never have remained the crowning finale of the world's greatest sporting spectacles.

Everyone who has ever had a history lesson will know the story of how a fleet footed messenger called Pheidippides is supposed to have started it all when he ran from Marathon to Athens without any proper coaching or EPO blood doping to announce that a battle had been won. Then he collapsed in a heap and died, gasping something about forgetting his Lucozade drink.

But the actual distance they run today wasn't based on the brave Greek's feat -- or even his feet.

The 26 miles 385 yards was calculated so that runners in the marathon at the 1908 Olympic Games in London would finish right in front of the Royal box at White City Stadium. And that has been the set distance for the marathon ever since.

But that was before the outbreak of the First World War, which killed off a lot of the public's interest in running and also killed off a lot of the young men who might have been inclined to take up the marathon.

It was not until well after the Great War that interest gradually began to seep back as the nation got back on its feet.

And that's where Bolton comes in. . . In 1929, Bolton staged a massive Civic Week with exhibitions and events and all kind of sporting activities, both fun and serious.

Even by today's standards, it was a "biggie" and one exhibition alone attracted 100,000 people during the week, the Bolton Evening News of the day recorded. Perhaps the big-wigs who masterminded The Dome should have studied the programme? The crowning glory of the week, just like the modern day Olympics, was a marathon race -- run over the classic 26 miles 385 yards but over a testing course that included plenty of hills and even a rough stretch of the Leeds Liverpool Canal towpath at Adlington.

The Civic Week was such a success that many other towns and cities held similar events and included a road marathon to round them off.

The Bolton marathon had an entry list of only 51, a far cry from the 10,000 who lined up in Beaumont Road each year in the early 80s when Bolton running guru Vince Regan revived the event.

In 1929, only 45 of the 51 entrants lined up when the starter's gun fired at the Raikes Park track -- later Bolton Greyhound Stadium.

Petrol must have been easier to get hold of than it has been during the past few weeks, because the BEN on September 28, 1929 records how a reporter "accompanied the runners by car throughout the 26 miles of mixed going through the Horwich, Adlington, Wigan and Westhoughton districts".

The lead kept changing throughout the event, which had large crowds all along the route. At Fall Birch, S G Holt of Bolton Harriers was in front by several yards, accompanied by a cavalcade of cyclists and people in private cars.

But by the Crown Hotel in Horwich, M Gooch of Cheltenham Harriers and J Barton of Bolton were beginning to close.

Harold Wood of Makerfield -- one of the leading marathoners of his day and favourite to win -- was pacing himself well, however, and by Adlington was leading with W Maleedy of Sutton Harriers, J W Grainey of Leigh and S Tunnicliffe of Burbage AC.

Maleedy turned out to be the strongest and pulled away to win in just under three hours -- three quarters of an hour behind some of today's winning times but a good run for the day and terrain.

Amazingly, the BEN report gives a blow by blow account as the race progresses but ends abruptly with Maleedy in the lead at Westhoughton Parish Church and heading back to Bolton at 5.17pm. But it doesn't say who won!

The reason was probably that the deadline had arrived for what was then the "late night final edition".

Or could it be that the reporter ran out of petrol?

The 16 separate programmes printed for the Civic Week events included news of a prize of £50 to the first twins, born after Saturday, September 21. Does anyone know who they were and if they are still alive? Contact Frank Wood at the BEN on 01204 361258.