Running
Running is one of the most ancient sports. The contest is first mentioned in Homer's Iliad where Odysseus wins the event.  According to the tradition, the Idaian Herakles, ancestor of the patriarch of the Eleans, was the first to organize a running contest. Furthermore, he established the stadium's length in Olympia at 600 feet, organized a running competition with the participation of his brothers Kouretes and crowned the winner with a wreath of wild olive. From an early age, children were initiated into the techniques and philosophy of running which became a permanent feature of children's education. In fact, the philosopher Plato in his Laws had stressed the importance of the contest in young people's preparation for war.
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