Marathon is a tiny settlement 69 miles north of Big Bend National Park. Highway 385, which runs through it, provides the eastern entry point for Big Bend. A sea captain suggested Marathon’s name—he said the area reminded him of Marathon in Greece. The historic Gage Hotel, with original pine floors and woodwork and ranch-style furnishings dating back to the 1920s, is located here. The guest rooms have separate themes, and Tarahumara pottery decorates the lobby. The bar has a Yaqui Native American altar and a Chusa, a Mexican marble game similar to roulette. Alfred Gage, who was a banker and cattle baron, built the yellow-brick hotel in 1927. It was refurbished in 1978.