MARATHON SCANDAL

Sir: Martin Mottram may be on to something when he asks (letter, 11
December) whether the original Marathon runner had consumed
performance-enhancing drugs. According to Robert Browning's poem
Pheidippides, "fennel a-tremble with dew" seems to have been the main
substance.

However, as with all drug-related cases, the causes of death are complex. It
seems that before proceeding to the fennel/dew cocktail, Pheidippides had
been on oak, olive and bay which, when enwreathed, make the brows bold: this
and his punishing training schedule - from Athens to Sparta and back in the
days before the battle - were contributory factors.

Nevertheless, on the actual death certificate Browning recorded "joy in his
blood" as "bursting his heart".

David Wallace, Hove, East Sussex

Checked-by: Rolf Ernst