Ganger Farm is a great location for running, jogging or walking a 5k … two and a half laps of the sports fields, essentially flat on a mix of grass and tarmac…
The 5k has become a popular distance for runners of all abilities, with many hundreds of thousands of people completing one every week. However, you might be surprised to learn about the 5k’s history as a race…
The dolichos (Δόλιχος, meaning ‘long race’) was a long-distance footrace introduced at the ancient Olympic Games in 720BC. In theory, any Greek man could have showed up at Elis, the city-state of Olympia and declare himself ready to compete in the games. According to the Greek writer Pausanias, however, when he did so he had to swear an oath that he wouldn't sin against the Olympic Games, and that "for ten successive months they had strictly followed the regulations for training." Moreover, once he arrived at Elis, there was a mandatory 30-day period in which Olympic judges would oversee the further training of the athletes. This whittled the numbers down to a final group for the competition.
On race day, a dolichos runner needed to complete as many lengths of the stadium (approximately 200m, so 400m out and back) as made up the dolichos, turning around at a post sticking out of the ground at the far end called a kampter. Sources vary on the exact length of the race (as there was no standard length of a stadium at the time), and sometimes the course extended out through the sanctuary grounds of Olympia. Most accounts estimate that the dolichos covered 12 'circuits' on average, resulting in around 4.8km (3 miles) for the race. According to Philostratus, dolichos runners moved “almost as if they were walking, holding up their hands in front of them” before executing a final sprint - comparable to the modern ‘sit-and-kick’ strategy seen in 5k races today.
Akanthos of Sparta won the inaugural dolichos race in 720BC. In the ancient Olympic Games there were no gold, silver, or bronze medals. There was only one winner per event, crowned with a wreath made of wild-olive leaves from a sacred tree near the temple of Zeus at Olympia.
In an excerpt from Discourses 15.2-5, Epictetus stated that the key to winning at Olympia was to “obey instructions, eat according to regulations, keep away from desserts, exercise on a fixed schedule at definite hours, in both heat and cold; you must not drink cold water nor can you have a drink of wine whenever you want.” It seems some things never change!
So, the popular 5k race of today has its roots in the dolichos, first run in 720BC at Olympia... something to ponder as you trudge round Ganger Farm.
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