 The original Marathon was the result of a lunch in late 1967, during a period of despondency in Britain caused by the devaluation of the pound.Sir Max Aitken, proprietor of the "Daily Express" and two of his editorial executives, Jocelyn Stevens and Tommy Sopwith, decided to create an event which their newspaper could sponsor, and which would serve to raise the country's spirits.Such an event would, it was felt, act as a showcase for British engineering and would boost export sales in the countries through which it passed.