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The plan was to land at Marathon, drawing the Athenian army there. Then his cavalry re-mbarked and rowed around Cape Sounion to land opposite Athens, then gallop up and seize the city while the infantry kept the Athenian infantry interested at Marathon 26 miles away. With the city lost, the Athenian army would be trapped between it and the Persian infantry.
Unfortunately for this plan, the Athenians saw the cavalry departing. They had been lurking in the foothills waiting for Spartan reinforcement, as they did not want to face the Persian cavalry on the Plain of Marathon which was good cavalry country. Now, with the cavalry embarking embarking, the Athenian heavy infantry ran down and defeated the weaker Persian infantry.
They then realised where the ships were going and ran back over the hills to Athens, just in time to form up in front of the city as the Persian cavalry arrived. The Persians, their infantry defeated and their cavalry stymied, gave up and went home.
This was the origin of today’s marathon run – however today’s pampered runners get it easier than the 9,000 Athenian infantry, fed on bread, wearing sandals and carrying armour, shields and weapons.
