Marathon continued Saga's long musical tradition and highlighted that more than 25 years into their career, the classic line-up consisting of Gilmour, Negus, vocalist Michael Sadler and the Crichton brothers Jim and Ian sounded as vibrant and exciting as ever. It's in Saga's DNA that the album nevertheless featured several surprises and exciting digressions. On the one hand, 'Marathon' included another three 'chapters' with more information about the story that was so popular with the fans and yet remained open to interpretation. At the same time, Marathon saw Saga celebrate once again the noble art of atmospheric songs, for example on 'Rise and Shine' or 'Blind Side of Your Heart', which combine delicate melodies with an emotive instrumentation.