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The Athens Classic Marathon Celebrates 2,500 Years of a Classic Tale
By Patrice Malloy
January/February 2011
For the Washington Running Report
It all started in 490 BC with a lopsided battle, an upset victory, and an ill-fated run. Or did it?
If anything, it is one heck of a story-the classic Greek fable of Pheidippides, a running messenger, and his role at the battle that became the namesake of the modern-day marathon.
Think back to the Greco-Persian Wars, 492 to 449 BC, give or take a year. Intent on invading the city-state of Athens, the Persian Empire sent 20,000 soldiers to Marathon, a seaside settlement some 25 miles northeast of Athens. Although armed with fewer than half the manpower than the Persians, the Athenians were tactically superior and caught their opponents off-guard, winning an overwhelming victory.
That fast, furious battle was fought in 490 BC and became known as the Battle of Marathon, one of the earliest recorded battles in history and a pivotal event in European cultural development.
Fast-forward 2,500 years.
The Persian Empire is ancient history. Athenians are more likely to be up in arms about Greece's budget deficit than an impending invasion. And the history-cognizant Athens Classic Marathon organizers planned and executed a memorable 2,500th anniversary celebration of the Battle of Marathon.
It was a wise move.
Registration for the 28th Athens Classic Marathon held October 31, 2010 more than doubled. The marathon event increased from 5,000 entrants in 2009 to 12,500 in 2010 with 70 percent of the field hailing from outside Greece. The accompanying 5K and 10K events also grew substantially and swelled total event registration to 21,000. Boston-based Marathon Tours and Travel, one of the event's official travel agencies, alone hosted 902 runners and guests-the largest group ever in their 32-year history.
Marathon zealots of every experience level were drawn to the sport's motherland and to retrace the messenger's footsteps from Marathon to Athens.
"I have read all about the history of the marathon, the distance as well as the history of the Boston Marathon, so when the opportunity came along to celebrate the 2,500th anniversary, I jumped at the chance," said Steve Neibergall of Annapolis, MD, a veteran of 56 marathons who finished the marathon in 3:56:45. "It was awesome to start in Marathon and run past the tomb of the soldiers from the battle in 490 BC."
Kathrine Switzer, the first woman to officially run the Boston Marathon, and Joan Benoit Samuelson, gold medalist at the first-ever Olympic women's marathon in 1984, also toed the marathon start line. Switzer, in her first road marathon in 32 years, finished in 4:48:44. Samuelson, 53, who clocked 2:47:50 just three weeks prior at the Bank of America Chicago Marathon (a new American age group record), finished in 3:03:37.
"What I found surprising was that there were a lot of folks from the villages along the way that came out to support the runners, yelling ‘bravo, bravo!' and giving us high-fives," said Doug Lwin of North Potomac, MD, who ran with his wife, Amy. It was Doug's third marathon and Amy's first. "Some of the spectators were handing out olive branches and thanking the runners for coming out. That made the trip for us!"
The runners of all three events finished in the all-marble Panathinaiko Stadium, venue for the first modern Olympic Games in 1896. "Nothing short of Boston can even come close in comparison to that finish line in the Olympic stadium," added Neibergall. "There was loud Greek music playing and lots of people cheering."
And what about the tale of Pheidippides being sent from the battlefield at Marathon to Athens to deliver the fortuitous news of the Athenian victory? Where the storied messenger proclaimed, "Rejoice, we conquer!" just prior to dropping dead from dire exhaustion.
"We got a lot more out of the trip than expected," said Lwin. "It was amazing to run in the birthplace of the modern marathon. I now know how other marathon runners feel. I'm hooked."
Pheidippides, this writer believes in you. Bravo!
For more information on the race visit: www.athensclassicmarathon.gr and for travel packages to this event and 22 other marathons worldwide: www.marathontours.com.
Patrice Malloy is a freelance writer, photographer, and consultant living and running in Cardiff by the Sea, CA. She can be reached at patrice@patricemalloy.com. Check her photo page.