Daniel Head (left in above photo), a 2004 graduate of Rhodes College, was a recipient of the Thomas J. Watson Research Fellowship to pursue an individualized research project around the globe for 12 months. Head chose to explore his project entitled "From Messenger to Masochist: Cultural Motivations of Marathon Runners" in seven countries spanning the globe: Australia, Greece, Egypt, Denmark, United Arab Emirates, Tanzania, and South Africa. During his visit to each country, Head explored the running scene through local running clubs and races, while learning about local cultures and peoples. His report from Australia was published in the Jan-Feb '07 issue. Here, he writes of his experiences in Greece.

The few months since I last reported has seemed like an eternity. Not because of boredom, but because I've taken in so much, seen places I never dreamed I'd be, met people from all corners of the globe, and overcome a dozen obstacles . . . all within a time span when at home I wouldn't usually even have time to get down to the grocery store. I went snow skiing with some running buddies in Australia, witnessed the cultural and technical revolutions unique to Singapore, and went power walking in the Persian Gulf with women whose faces I couldn't even see. After flying more than halfway around the world, I was more than ready to settle in here in Athens, Greece for a couple months to experience the birthplace of the marathon.

Athens was an obvious choice of locations to call home while studying the mad, and not so mad, motivations of marathoners. I was very interested to uncover unique ties to the race buried in centuries of its history. Is the marathon a symbol of national pride and culture for the Greeks? Do Greeks possess a running ethos unique to their culture and mentality?

There were so many questions running through my mind that could only be answered here. Running in Athens was a total 180-degree shift of what the runners' culture in Sydney was like, where running clubs and fit people were in abundance. Here, after a couple weeks of struggling to find any runners at all, I did manage to hit the jackpot and find one group of runners who trained in Greece's National Gardens. Although the group only numbered about 20, they trained every day at 5 pm. I would run with different people each day. These runners, however, weren't the social bunch of folks I met in Australia, but rather hard- core runners with a strict training schedule, and weren't so welcoming of a "Xenos" like me. They ranged from first time marathoners to the Greek National Champion himself, Nikos Polias, and everyone in between. Their motivations for running seemed to stem more from what other people demanded and expected from them than the actual desire from inside to complete the 26 mile races.

But, I don't blame any Athenian for not having a passion for "fun runs." It's impossible to find anywhere in the city to run. Even in the National Gardens, where the Greek National Team trains, they run a 2 kilometer loop over and over again on a shifty gravel pathway, even for runs as long as 15 miles. Don't even try running in the streets here, or let alone the sidewalks for that matter. Just walking down the sidewalk in Athens is a challenge in itself. It seems to be used more for parking cars and for driving mopeds than for pedestrians or runners. It seemed ironic to me that here in the birthplace of the marathon, I only saw one runner on the street in my entire two months here. I was so excited I actually stopped him while he was running. He was a Scottish gent working at the embassy and we quickly became friends and running buddies, and complained and groveled about the hideous Athens running ambience.

And it's not just running that is stressful in Athens. The whole city seems to be in a constant rush, yet nothing gets done, and most people don't have any hesitation to pass their stressful attitude onto you. Hailing a cab takes years of skill and a truckload of patience. The post office doesn't sell envelopes, and you can't cash a check at the bank. But at least you can score a gyro, baklava, and Greek salad on every street corner. You pretty much can't survive in Athens if you're allergic to smoke, don't like feta cheese, or don't enjoy the pleasure of searching for hours for any product you want. If you come to Greece on a running holiday, don't plan to spend much time in Athens. Get out to the islands or the countryside instead.

With not doing so much running, and stuffing my face constantly with gyros and baklava, I definitely put on a few pounds-not something I thought I'd ever do in this year of never-ending running. But I'm not worried. The Middle East and Africa still await me.

I arrived in Greece just in time for the Paralympic Games and was able to take in several of the events at various Olympic venues. I got to see shooting, swimming, track and field, tennis, and basketball. These athletes are more than amazing and a true inspiration. And, of course, I ventured to the ancient Olympic stadium to watch the spectacular end of the Paralympic Marathon. These runners must have an outstanding motivation to run. While I was intrigued by why the medal contenders were urged to enter the marathon race, even more interesting to me were the guides of the blind runners. These selfless beings run a whole marathon, not for a medal or a finishing time, or for glory, but solely to help someone else finish his race. Most people's philanthropic activities wouldn't ever go so far as to involve the pain and agony of running a sub 3:00 marathon! I met Kenya's running coach for the blind, so I hope to get even more information on the whole concept once I'm in Africa.

Photo: Daniel Head (right) in the Greek Olympic stadium

The two races I framed my stay in Greece around were two historical races dedicated to the messenger routes Pheidippides completed 25 centuries ago. First was the Spartathlon, a 150- mile nonstop race from Athens to Sparta. I was sure that delving into the psyche of anyone who would run 150 miles nonstop would yield some interesting answers. Although I didn't run it, I did manage to find a way to join in the fun by becoming the support car driver for four Danish runners, two of whom even managed to finish. It was absolutely amazing to watch so many runners go through such agony to run so far, following in the ancient messenger's footsteps.

Many runners seemed to be motivated by the absurdity of the distance. It is described by many in the running community to be the most grueling and challenging nonstop race in the world. The masochistic runners endure hilly terrain and hard pavement all day and then are forced to climb a treacherous mountain pass in the dark with only a headlamp for company and guidance. Others seemed intrigued by the notion of being a modern day "Imerodromou," or "messenger," and by the ancient ties to the region. It was rewarding to me that at least the two extremes described in the title of my research project, "From Messenger to Masochist," seemed to be dead on. There was a massive celebration in both Sparta and Athens following the race, and I was lucky enough to take part in it all.

The second race was the Athens Classic Marathon, the original marathon from the battleground of "Marathon" to the ancient Olympic stadium in Athens. It was an overwhelmingly international event, with an unbelievably emotional finish in the old stadium. Runners from all over the globe came here solely to run the marathon at its birthplace. The course is tough, climbing for the first 17 miles followed by a quick finish into the ancient stadium. When I rounded the corner into the large marble semi-circle, my head dropped and the drone of the crowd's cheering became silent. I suddenly realized the answer to my questions I had pondered upon entering Greece. I'm still unable to accurately put it into words though.

In between the two races, I got to experience another original trek from the city of Marathon to Athens. A group of PhD students in archaeology had been planning to walk the ancient route on a Sunday afternoon, and they let me tag along. None of them had ever run at all before, much less had they ever attempted to walk 25 miles (the original route over the mountains is shorter; the course was lengthened in the 1908 London games to accommodate the location of the Queen's box so she could watch the finish. Try not to curse her next time you are finishing the last couple miles of the race!). They initially laughed at my GU and other mixture of snacks, but by half way they were begging me for it. The going was tough, but the view from atop the mountain overlooking the plains of Marathon was a marathon researcher's dream come true! It's funny how many people I met who had never run a marathon before, nor had any intention of doing so, but who really wanted to complete the original "Marathon" course. But, there's definitely something about the birthplace of the marathon that draws people from around the world to tackle the tough ancient course.

Besides running a good bit and taking five hours of Greek lessons every day, I also managed to get out of Athens a couple times. On the island of Aegina, I rented a moped and zoomed around the island, meeting the locals, and taking in the local sights and smells. Another weekend I went up the famed Mount Olympus, home of Zeus and the ancient Greek gods, and the tallest mountain in Greece. I spent two days hiking to the very top-probably the best hiking I've ever done. For the last half of it, you are looking down at the tops of the clouds hovering over the Mediterranean and looking up at the treeless, stony peaks of Mount Olympus. It seemed to be another marvel of ancient legend meets modern day madness.

My Greek adventures are now coming to an end. I can't believe the time here has flown by so fast. I've kept myself very busy, in Greek terms, meaning I still have made lots of time to sit in sidewalk cafes chatting and sipping frappes with my newfound friends and pondering marathoners' motivations. Although the runners here were very different from those Down Under, it's no question that the runners' surroundings, cultural personalities, and national identities make a distinct difference in their reasons for running . . . or not running as is the case here in smelly, crowded, charming Athens.