Marathon events have been held at the Summer Paralympic Games, for both men and women, since the 1984 Summer Paralympics in Stoke Mandeville and New York City.[1] [2] They are held as part of the Paralympic athletics programme.
Since the 1996 Games in Atlanta, marathon events, along with all other track events, have been categorised as follows:[3] [4] [5]
Heinrich Koeberle of Germany, active from 1984 to 2000, is the most successful Paralympic marathon competitor to date, having won four gold medals and one silver. Among the women, Connie Hansen of Denmark and Jean Driscoll of the United States have each won two Paralympic marathons.[6] [7]
At the 1984 Games in Stoke Mandeville and New York, seven marathons were held for men, and four for women, all for wheelchair athletes. In the men's event 1A, only three runners started the race: Heinrich Koeberle from West Germany, his compatriot H. Lobbering (full name not recorded), and Rainer Kueschall of Switzerland. Only Koeberle reached the finish line.[10] In women's event 5, there were only two competitors, both from Mexico. Both reached the finish line.[11]
Men's events
| Marathon 1A | |||
| Marathon 1B | |||
| Marathon 1C | |||
| Marathon 2 | |||
| Marathon 3 | |||
| Marathon 4 | |||
| Marathon 5 | |||
Women's events
| Marathon 2 | |||
| Marathon 3 | |||
| Marathon 4 | |||
| Marathon 5 | |||
The number of events at the 1988 Summer Paralympics in Seoul was expanded to eleven for men, but restricted to three for women (with category 5 being closed).
Men's events
| Marathon 1A | |||
| Marathon 1B | |||
| Marathon 1C | |||
| Marathon 2 | |||
| Marathon 3 | |||
| Marathon 4 | |||
| Marathon 5-6 | |||
| Marathon A1–3/A9/L1–2 | |||
| Marathon B1 | |||
| Marathon B2 | |||
| Marathon B3 | |||
Women's events
| Marathon 2 | |||
| Marathon 3 | |||
| Marathon 4 | |||
At the 1992 Games in Barcelona, the number of events for men was cut to six: three for wheelchair athletes, and three for visually impaired athletes. The number of events for women was further reduced, down to one, for wheelchair athletes.
Men's events
| Marathon B1 | |||
| Marathon B2 | |||
| Marathon B3 | |||
| Marathon TW1 | |||
| Marathon TW2 | |||
| Marathon TW3–4 | |||
Women's event
At the 1996 Summer Paralympics in Atlanta, the current categorisation system was introduced. Seven events were held for men, and one for women.
Men's events
| Marathon T10 | |||
| Marathon T11 | |||
| Marathon T12 | |||
| Marathon T42–46 | |||
| Marathon T50 | |||
| Marathon T51 | |||
| Marathon T52–53 | |||
Women's event
The same number of events (seven for men, one for women) were maintained at the 2000 Summer Games in Sydney.
Men's events
| Marathon T11 | |||
| Marathon T12 | |||
| Marathon T13 | |||
| Marathon T46 | |||
| Marathon T51 | |||
| Marathon T52 | |||
| Marathon T54 | |||
Women's event
At the 2004 Summer Paralympics in Athens, the number of events for men was reduced to five (one for totally blind athletes, one for visually impaired athletes, and three for wheelchair athletes), while a single wheelchair event was maintained for women.
Men's events
| Marathon T11 | |||
| Marathon T13 | |||
| Marathon T51 | |||
| Marathon T52 | |||
| Marathon T54 | |||
Women's event
At the 2008 Games in Beijing, the number of events for men was again reduced, down to four (one for visually impaired athletes, one for upper limb amputees, two for wheelchair athletes), while a single women's wheelchair event was maintained.
Men's events
| Marathon T12 | |||
| Marathon T46 | |||
| Marathon T52 | |||
| Marathon T54 | |||
Women's event
At the 2012 Games in London, the number of events for men was once more reduced, down to three (one for visually impaired athletes, one for upper limb amputees, one for wheelchair athletes), while a single women's wheelchair event was maintained.
Men's events
| Marathon T12 | |||
| Marathon T46 | |||
| Marathon T54 | |||
Women's event
See main article: Athletics at the 2016 Summer Paralympics – Men's marathon and Athletics at the 2016 Summer Paralympics – Women's marathon.