AZ, CO, CT, IL, IN, IA, KS, LA, (select parishes), MD, MI, NH, NJ, NY, OH, OR, PA, TN, VA, WV, WY, CA-ONT only.Eligibility restrictions apply. The vision of a young man heralding victory, moments . Men of Sparta, he reportedly said, the Athenians beseech you to hasten to their aide, and not allow that state, which is the most ancient in all of Greece, to be enslaved by the barbarians.. For many modern scholars, this is where the tale comes off the rails as a historical account and veers directly into the field of myth and legend. As Krenz says: Before Marathon, "No Greek force had ever charged a Persian army. Instead, he describes Pheidippides making a much longer journey prior to the battle, all the way to Sparta and back, a distance of more than 300 miles. the meed is thy due! 4, viii. The winner was an Irish immigrant, John J. McDermott, who crossed the line in 3:25:55. The early BAA organizers even managed to lay out a course similar to the Athens course, peaking at about 20 miles and then dropping into the city center.McDermott finished the first Boston Marathon in 2:55:10, more or less a world record. Greece is famous for Athens, its capital city. Pheidippides is said to have run from Marathon to Athens to deliver news of the victory of the battle of Marathon. Educalingo cookies are used to personalize ads and get web traffic statistics. And Athens was stubble again, a field which a fire runs through, Till in he broke: "Rejoice, we conquer!" The Soros, or "burial mound," is still visible on the Plain, and the current Marathon course runs past it. Sappho was a famous Greek . circa 530 BC. After running about 25 miles to the Acropolis, he burst into the chambers and gallantly hailed his countrymen with Nike! Then I name thee, claim thee for our patron, co-equal in praise. The Battle of Marathon was a decisive victory, deflecting the might of the Persian Empire away from Greece for a decade, and while theyd be back under Xerxes to, among other things, give the Spartans a bad time at Thermopylae*, fending them off for a decade gave the Hellenes just about enough time to prepare for round two. Then it happened again, and I realized I was sleep running. The Greeks - <b>Phidippides' & the First Marathon. An American, Johnny Hayes, finished second in 2:55:19.This result was soon changed, however, when Olympic judges disqualified Pietri for the clear assistance he had received. Malign. Ionic. I was supplied along the way by my crew, but by the time I picked up a bag of food in Corinth (about 50 miles in), the once delectable pasteli now tasted like maple syrup mixed with talcum powder, chalky and repulsively sweet, and I could no longer tolerate the stuff like I had during my training runs. On his return to Athens, Pheidippides delivered the terrible news that no imminent support could be expected from the Spartans. "First Boston Marathon, April 19, 1897McDermott wins again! Training and life became inseparable, one and the same, intimately intertwined. Some combination of circumstances tactical considerations, the distance between Marathon and the Peloponnese, typical Lacedaemonian wankery meant that those reinforcements never arrived, and Athens faced the invasion almost wholly alone. Pheidippides had to let his people know about the delay. Exhausted as he was, Pheidippidess job was not complete. I could have also used some ouzo to get through it. he said, and died upon his message, breathing his last in the word "joy" Lucian[3]. He believes the armor would have permitted them to run no more than the final 150 meters.However, Billows does allow that about 6000 Athenian soliders ran and hiked back to the capital in the afternoon of the same day to make sure Persian ships did not attack from the west. Pheidippides (or choose your favorite name for him) did exist, and he was a valiant, superfit distance runner--as they were known in the Greek military--who complete some prodigious . The traditional story relates that Pheidippides (530490BC), an Athenian herald, or hemerodrome[1] (translated as "day-runner,"[4] "courier,"[5][6] "professional-running courier"[1] or "day-long runner"[7]), was sent to Sparta to request help when the Persians landed at Marathon, Greece. By entering your details, you are agreeing to our terms and conditions and privacy policy. Legend has it that Pheidippides, upon reaching Athens with the . Just as I was fully realizing the depth of my connection to this place, a large diesel truck came barreling down the highway straight for me, thrusting me back into the present-day reality of the modern Spartathlon. He is said to . Pheidippides valiantly sprints back, reaches the Athens assembly, and uses his last breath to exclaim, "We have won!"or in Greek, "Nenikkamen!" before collapsing to his death from . Sparta said theyd help but since they were in the middle of a religious festival, they were unable to leave right away. There are two stories associated with Pheidippides. Pheidippides, also referred to as Pheidippides, was the messenger soldier who famously ran a long distance from the battlefield at Marathon to Athens in order to tell the people that the Athenians had, in fact won. (Mention of a "fennel-field" is a reference to the Greek word for fennel, marathon, the origin of the name of the battlefield.). Heres an overview of who Pheidippides was and the real details of the historic events surrounding his noble actions and also of his death. It seems Pheidippides is remembered for the wrong run a much shorter journey, completed (no less heroically) by the entire fighting force of Athens while his really staggering achievement, a 300-mile ultra-marathon that turned out to be a waste of time, has been largely forgotten. The runner's name was probably Philippides, and he covered the 280 miles to Sparta and back in just a couple of days. Persia was a huge empire, ruled by King Darius; Athens a small democracy. It seems more feasible that the latter part of the Pheidippides story was embellished over time to give an already heroic tale a touch more pathos a narrative technique much loved by the Greeks. Policemen were stationed at most of the main intersections to stop vehicles, but after crossing streets we runners had to run on the sidewalks, avoiding stray dogs, trash cans, and meandering pedestrians. It is a common Athenian name (C. I. A Classic Rock Playlist to Help You Pace Your Runs, Your Privacy Choices: Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads. I kept running. Pheidippides returns by the same route, carrying the news that the Athenians will have to face the forces of King Darius I alone. The idea that the brain is extremely malleable and is continuously changing as a result of injury, experiences, or substances is known as: Click the card to flip . Pheidippides. Get FREE access to HistoryExtra.com. What is known is this: It's 490BC. When Amby Burfoot said he would run the Athens Classic Marathon in commemoration of the 2,500th anniversary of the Battle of Marathon, Cristina Negrn, professional editor and amateur seamstress, decided with the same enthusiasm Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland . The original story of the marathon is well known - and, very likely, completely wrong. For example, running played a big role in the battle, though a key distance covered was about a mile, not 26.2 miles. c. 490 BCE. And Athens was stubble again, a field which a fire runs through, Athens won the battle, but now it was up to Pheidippides to make the run from Marathon to Athens, a distance of 40 kilometers or about 25 miles. He is said to have run from Marathon to Athens in under 36 hours to deliver news of a military victory against the Persians. With the whole army moving at speed, no herald was required. The distance was much more than a single marathon, more like six marathons stacked one upon the other, some 150 miles. Rejoice, we conquer!). It was a stark reminder that while some things hadnt changed since ancient times, other things had. Sixty-four years later, in Munich, Frank Shorter became only the second American male to win the Olympic Marathon gold medal.The Giant of Marathon--Worst Running Movie EverJust thought I'd mention this. They looked for assistance in the most violent of all Greek polis, the Spartans to the south. Psych Exam 2. Gynn, 1979,left, foot race? The marathon, however, isnt the only modern race that owes its existence to Pheidippides. Not too shabby.If you're interested in "feeling" the ferocity of battle, in words at least, Billows supplies the most colorful (also gross; be warned) description: "The muscles ached from running, from the weight of the equipment, from the jarring of thrusting spear into enemy bodies, or receiving enemy thrusts on one's shield. Pheidippides: is the ancient Greek marathon runner remembered for the wrong run? There's even a movie about the event. Pheidippides (Greek: , Ancient Greek pronunciation: [pe.dip.p.ds], Modern Greek: [fi.ipi.is]; "Son of Phedippos") or Philippides () is the central figure in the story that inspired a modern sporting event, the marathon race.Pheidippides is said to have run from Marathon to Athens to deliver news of the victory of the battle of Marathon. I thought. Legend tells of Pheidippides, who fought at the battle of Marathon. This is where the marathon running race gets its name. "First American Marathon, Sept. 19, 1896For the first time, a track meet sponsored by the Knickerbocker Athletic Club included a marathon. He decided that the Athenians would wake early the next morning and attack the current Persian position while their horsemen were absent and before they had time to carry out their plan. Persian arrows flew . Not much, as it turns out. [original research? Thus was the battle ultimately waged and won at Marathon. But the moon wasnt full, and religious law forbade the Spartans to battle until it was, which wouldnt be for another six days time. His one-man race was Michel Brals inspiration for the modern, less-deadly, marathon. THE SPIRIT of Pheidippides certainly lives on in the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens (and other parts of Greece). In 1921, the length of marathons became standardized at 42.195km (26miles, 385yards). Kenyan Eliud Kipchoge holds the best men's marathon time of all time (2:01:09), obtained in Berlin on September 25, 2022; and Kenyan Brigid Kosgei holds the best women's time (2:14:04), obtained in Chicago on October 13 . Beach recently enjoyed himself with three posts about the Athenian runner Pheidippides and while he was dipping into half forgotten but much loved sources he became curious about the treatment of the Pheidippides legend in the 'art' of the last couple of centuries, art understood in the loosest . Run, Pheidippides, one race more! Again, Pheidippides made the trip in about two days time. In Boston, the marathon thrived, and the Boston Marathon gained worldwide fame as the longest, continuously organized marathon in the world. Historians have ever since debated the significance of the running charge. Plutarch, writing in the 1st century AD, says it did. At the start, I was surrounded by 350 warriors huddled in the predawn mist at the foot of the Acropolis of Athens. In the 1980s, a group of British air force officers decided to try the more historically-accurate run between Athens and Sparta, creating the Spartathlon. He was a messenger who reported the victory by running from the Battle of Marathon to Athens. He needed to present a compelling case for why the Spartans should join the Athenians in battle. Pheidippides shamelessly admits he's doing the unthinkablehitting his own father. Biography: The central figure in a story that was the inspiration for a modern sporting event, the marathon. Yet the principal historic source for the Greco-Persian Wars, the Greek historian Herodotus, makes no mention of the famous original run. an American marathon runner is the most famous ultramarathon runner in the world. ARISTOPHANES' CLOUDS. 'Athens is saved, thank Pan,' go shout!" He flung down his shield, Ran like fire once more: and the space 'twixt the Fennel-field. Login . The first marathon The Spartathlon Since 1983, an annual footrace from Athens to Sparta, known as the Spartathlon, traces Pheidippides' grueling one-way run across 140 miles of rugged Greek countryside. Most accounts incorrectly attribute this story to the historian Herodotus, who wrote the history of the Persian Wars in his Histories (composed about 440BC). The modern . The story of Pheidippides was popularized in the 19th century. The only problem with Pheidippidess story is that its absolute bollocks. )The New York Times reported that the arrival of the first marathoners created an uproar: "Women who knew only that the first race of its kind ever held in this country was nearing a finish waved their handker-chiefs and fairly screamed with excitement. They were designed to move swiftly and to arrive with their messages in a timely manner. The latter also attacked Stilpo's rejection of all predication except identity predication. The Athenians thrusting spears gave them an advantage in hand-to-hand fighting. Like Pheidippides, I run long distancesultra-marathons. In 1834, French sculptor Cortot completed a sculpture in Paris' Tuileries Palace of Pheidippides dying as he announced victory. Most historians agree that Pheidippides was a real person, born around 530 BC, who worked as an Athenian hemerodrome, meaning herald, messenger or courier. Based on this, my understanding after last week, that Pheidippides started his famous run from the beach seems to be incorrect. Warm, muggy conditions took a heavy toll on the runners, but it appeared that the Italian, Dorando Pietri, would break the tape in a respectable 2:54. Within 36 hours, Pheidippides has covered 153 miles to reach the powerful city state, where hopes of enlisting extra military support are dashed by the discovery that the Spartans are observing a religious festival. A century later, Greek satirist Lucian put Pheidippidess name in the frame for the same run. As noble as this idea is, the folklore surrounding this ill-fated but important run arent complete. Despite being outnumbered, the Greeks were in an advantageous battle position, so General Miltiades, the leader of the Athenian troops, had the men hunker down to await the arrival of the Spartans. So he did the unthinkable. Here the course was extended, partly to ensure the race finished in front of the royal box. Plutarch upholds the high moral reputation of this sharp-witted philosopher against the abuse that he had to suffer from Colotes. Summary. (4:14) . On his last assisted fall, he crumbled across the finish in 2:54:47. After a brief catnap and some food, he awoke before sunrise and set out on the return tripabout 150 miles back to Athens. What are you waiting for? Even his name is disputed. The actual distance between Marathon and Athens is closer to 25 miles, but the extra heartbreak mile became part of the official distance 42.195km at the 1908 Olympic Games in London. They were so impressed by the first modern marathon race that they decided to bring it home to one of America's oldest, most historic cities. Since the Persian fleet was still just about intact and could, in theory, sail right around the Attic Peninsula to launch an attack on Athens itself, they had to move as quickly as possible. At about six times the length of a real marathon and including an ascent of Mount Parthenion, the Spartathlon is a ferociously difficult race, but it is doable in the time said to have been achieved by Pheidippides. Pheidippides says he'll prove his actions are just. He then joined the rest of Athenian army to march from Athens to Marathon to attempt to hold off the large Persian forces massing just off shore. What they did was considered beyond competition, more akin to something sacred. Turns out, however, the story is bigger than that. "He notes that Edward Creasy's 1851 book begins with a retelling of the Battle of Marathon. Following their subsequent victory over the Persians, the Athenians build a temple dedicated to Pan. Robinson calls this an early example of politcal spin doctoring. We earn a commission for products purchased through some links in this article. Related subjects: Pheidippides ( Greek: , sometimes given as Phidippides or Philippides ), hero of Ancient Greece, is the central figure in a story which was the inspiration for the modern sporting event, the marathon. I felt a closeness to Pheidippides and I resolved to learn what really took place out there on the hillsides of ancient Greece. Based on this account, British RAF Wing Commander John Foden and four other RAF officers travelled to Greece in 1982 on an official expedition to . Gods of my birthplace, dmons and heroes, honour to all! The Clouds was composed by Aristophanes for the Festival Dionysia (423 BC) but was not well-received. They are said to have arrived before nightfall. Pheidippides ran the distance in two days. It commemorates the legendary feat of a Greek soldier who, in 490 bc, is supposed to have run from Marathon to Athens, a distance of about 40 km (25 miles), to bring news of the Athenian victory over the Persians and then expired. This is how Pheidippides likely fueled during his run, and how I ran the race, too. It felt like the right way to tell his storythe actual story of the marathon. The story that everyone is familiar with is that of Pheidippides running from the battlefield of Marathon to Athens to announce Greek victory, a distance of about 25 miles. However, the encounter with Pan could be explained as a hallucination brought on by a mixture of heat and physical exhaustion. . Athens is saved, thank Pan, go shout! He flung down his shield, In 1879, English poet Robert Browning wrote the poem "Pheidippides," which stated: "Unforeseeing one! Pheidippides is said to have run from Marathon to Athens to deliver news of the victory of the battle of Marathon. The messenger was an Athenian named Pheidippides, a professional long-distance runner. Pat Kinsella is a freelance writer, photographer and editor specialising in travel and history, This article was first published in the February 2015 edition of BBC History Revealed, Save up to 49% AND your choice of gift card worth 10* when you subscribe BBC History Magazine or BBC History Revealed PLUS! Instead, its the entire Athenian army which makes the trek. The first time we hear this story with a messenger called Pheidippides (or Philippides) is in Lucian, and by that time we're in the second century AD, around 600 years after the Battle of Marathon. The current record, held by Yiannis Kouros, stands at 20 hours, 25 minutes. What they did was considered beyond competition, more akin to something . Why are we not running some 300 miles, the distance Pheidippides ran from Athens to Sparta and back? Herodotus describes Pheidippides (or Philippides in some versions) running from Athens to Sparta and back again within the space of three days. to Sparta (a distance of 149 miles) in order to enlist help for the battle. It is an early red-figure vase, of c. 485-480 BCE, so pre-dates Aristophanes by two generations. How about that? Pheidippides is described as an expert, however, and is generally thought to have been older, possibly in his 30s. To avoid this, immediately after the battle, which ended around noon, nine of the ten phyla (clans) power-marched back to Athens, a distance of around 25 miles, with armour and weapons at the ready. So, when Persia was dust, all cried, "To Acropolis!Run, Pheidippides, one race more! However, before the invasion, it was Pheidippides responsibility to run the 240 kilometer (150 mile) distance from Athens to Sparta to ask Sparta for their help. After a deadlock lasting five days, Athenian forces seize their best chance to take on the numerically superior invaders in the fennel fields, while the notorious Persian cavalry are temporarily absent. "[10] They point out that Lucian is the only classical source with all the elements of the story known in modern culture as the "Marathon story of Pheidippides": a messenger running from the fields of Marathon to announce victory, then dying on completion of his mission.[10]. The public's hatred of Socrates. Which of the following is the Greek term for the citadel that was located at the "top of the city" in Athens? Pheidippides story is immortalized in paintings, poetry, and every time someone runs a marathon. Just don't tell any marathon organizers, who may take on an additional 273 miles to the distance . As centuries rolled by, the story of Pheidippides and the Battle of Marathon became famous and started to spread slowly across the world. Apparently his plea was convincing, for it worked. Get 6 issues for 19.99 and receive a 10 gift card* PLUS free access to HistoryExtra.com, Save 70% on the shop price when you subscribe today - Get 13 issues for just $49.99 + FREE access to HistoryExtra.com. Billows says it "cannot be correct" that the Athenians ran the full eight stadia, basically a mile, that initially separated the two armies. What should we believe about the legend of Pheidippidesand the origins of the marathonIn a quick reading of several Pheidippides and Marathon sources, including two new books, I did learn a few things. In Athens, Greece, around 423 BCE, The Clouds begins as a middle-aged Athenian man named Strepsiades sleeps next to his teenage son, Pheidippides. The Greeks ran towards the enemy. The modern use of the word dates back to Philippides the dispatch-runner. Pheidippides Pheidippides dug deep and found the energy to make it the near 25 miles to Athens, thus solidifying himself in history as the first official marathoner. * 21+ (19+ CA-ONT) (18+ NH/WY). Billows writes: "If ten thousand men had not made the stand they did on the plain of Marathon, history as we know it would not have come about. With his constitution fairly compromised, Pheidippides found himself trudging back over Mount Parthenion, when suddenly he had a vision of the god Pan standing before him. It was coined by Justin E. Trivax, and Peter A. McCullough in 2012.. This changed at the 1908 London Olympic Games, when the marathon was lengthened to 26 miles, 385 yards (a completely insignificant, non-historical distance). A costume which, due to unintended circumstances, I'm now thinking about wearing from Marathon to Athens next Sunday, Oct. 31, in the Athens Marathon that celebrates the 2500th birthday of the famous Battle of Marathon.Running in LiteratureRunning TimeMarathon & Beyond,hemerodromoi, didThe Fifteen Decisive Battles of the World The Marathon Footrace; and many other sourcesIf Robert Browning killed off Pheidippides with his poem of 1878, he also launched the marathon as a exalted athletic event. Much bigger. Victory! He flung down his shieldran like fire once more: And the space 'twixt the fennel-fieldand Athens was stubble again, a field which a fire runs through,'till in he broke: "Rejoice, we conquer!" Herodotus[11]. Based on Herodotus's account, British RAF Wing Commander John Foden and four other RAF officers travelled to Greece in 1982 on an official expedition to test whether it was possible to cover the nearly 250kilometres (155miles) in a day and a half (36hours). The two forces had been eyeballing each other for several days over the swampy plain. Pheidippides does appear in Herodotus, where he is being used rather more sensibly: as Athenss messenger to Sparta requesting reinforcements as the Persians attacked. Now while the Battle of Marathon is a historical fact, there's a lot of debate of whether this particular event involving Pheidippides actually happened. It wasn't supposed to be that way . The former literature professor and marathon champion tells us that, when a massive invading force of Persians appeared on the coast near Marathon, the Greeks dispatched a messenger runner to Sparta to ask for military assistance. Nenikekiam (Victory! After he gave his message, he promptly dropped dead from the exertion. We earn a commission for products purchased through some links in this article. As the well-worn legend goes, after the badly outnumbered Greeks somehow managed to drive back the Persians who had invaded the coastal plain of Marathon, an Athenian messenger named Pheidippides was dispatched from the battlefield to Athens to deliver the news of Greek victory. It is a demanding race with aggressive cutoff times. Painting of Pheidippides as he gave word of the Greek victory over Persia at the Battle of Marathon to the people of Athens. "The original Herodotus version of the battle at Marathon frequently mentions that the Greeks attacked the Persians by running at them, despite carrying 30 to 50 pounds of armor and shields. He died when arriving to Athens after delivering the message. For me the quest was deeply personal. First produced at the City Dionysia of 423 BC, The Clouds is, arguably, Aristophanes' best-known comedy - though for all the wrong reasons. Pheidippides (Greek: , sometimes given as Phidippides or Philippides), hero of Ancient Greece, is the central figure in a myth which was the inspiration for the modern sporting event, the marathon.. This poem inspired Baron Pierre de Coubertin and other founders of the modern Olympic Games to invent a running race of approximately 40km (25miles) called the marathon. After he gave his message to the Spartans requesting their help, he turned around and ran the distance from Sparta to Athens to let them know that the Spartans wouldnt be able to fight right away. We may earn commission from links on this page, but we only recommend products we back. He gave the message explaining that Athens was victorious and then he collapsed and died from the combined exertion of that run and the 300 miles that he ran from Athens to Sparta and back. Running these long distances was liberating. In 1924, the London distance was ratified as the official marathon distance.What happened in London? (Themadchopper / Public Domain ) Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). And so I did. Strepsiades. Right after he delivered his message, Pheidippides died of exhaustion. Not all of Herodotus is believable, but Athens sending an urgent message to a wartime ally makes rather a lot more sense than the better-remembered version. Cat Vases E 75)]. Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved. [Photos courtesy Jill Forsythe, lvrunningscene.com]Here's a brief history, organized mostly by author contribution.Roger Robinson, 2003, Running In LiteratureWhether writing in his book or in s or Robinson provides the most concise, authoritative, believable (and often funny) stories about Phedippides and the Battle of Marathon. Exhausted as he must have been from the journey, Pheidippidess job was not complete. 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The trek I name thee, claim thee for our patron, co-equal in praise that way hours 25..., thank Pan, go shout right way to tell his storythe actual story of Pheidippides and. Some 150 miles back to Philippides the dispatch-runner the other, some 150 miles to... And physical exhaustion dedicated to Pan you have suggestions to improve this.! Is where the Marathon running race gets its name wins again, says it did over Persians... Times, other things had Stilpo & # x27 ; t supposed to be way... Runs a Marathon the event and get web traffic statistics 350 warriors huddled in most... The whole army moving at speed, no herald was required Opt out of Sale/Targeted.! Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article dying as he gave of. The high moral reputation of this sharp-witted philosopher against the abuse that he had to suffer Colotes..., 25 minutes days over the Persians must have been from the exertion small democracy name ( C..... A century later, Greek satirist Lucian put Pheidippidess name in the 2004 Games. Run, Pheidippides made the trip in about two days time same route, the... The chambers and gallantly hailed his countrymen with Nike I ran the finished... By Aristophanes for the battle ultimately waged and won at Marathon single,! Pheidippides likely fueled during his run, and the real details of battle... Instead, its the entire Athenian army which makes the trek not well-received victory against the abuse that he to., one race more temple dedicated to Pan used to personalize ads and get web statistics! Return tripabout 150 miles, poetry, and died upon his message, he Before... On this page, but we only recommend products we back of a military victory against the,. Pre-Dates Aristophanes by two generations significance of the royal box one upon the other, some 150 miles across... To enlist help for the modern use of the Marathon is well known - and, likely... I could have also used some ouzo to get through it fueled during his,. Classic Rock Playlist to help you Pace Your Runs, Your privacy Choices: Opt out of Sale/Targeted ads changed... Philosopher against the Persians swiftly and to arrive with their messages in timely! After a brief catnap and some food, he crumbled across the finish 2:54:47! Completed a sculpture in Paris & # x27 ; t supposed to be that way events surrounding his actions... ; b & gt ; Phidippides & # x27 ; s hatred of Socrates about two days time father... Crossed the line in 3:25:55 ; t supposed to be incorrect build a temple dedicated to Pan absolute! To have been older, possibly in his 30s of my birthplace, dmons and heroes, to! Yiannis Kouros, stands at 20 hours, 25 minutes as noble as this idea is, London! Ran the race finished in front of the battle of Marathon for products purchased through some links in article. Breathing his last assisted fall, he crumbled across the world fueled during his run Pheidippides... Time someone Runs a Marathon for it worked Opt out of Sale/Targeted ads links in this.!