This Sunday (Jan. 15, 2017) is the annual Houston Marathon, which begins and ends at the George R. Brown Convention Center. Each year, it attracts more than 20,000 and some 200,000 spectators.
But what is it about the simple act of watching people run a race that we find so fascinating?
We ask Dr. David Walsh, clinical assistant professor at University of Houston's Department of Health and Human Performance, about the history of marathons and what draws us to foot races.
(Above: The start of the Chevron Houston Marathon on Jan. 18, 2015. Photo: Andrew McClanahan, Courtesy Houston Marathon)