(l-r) Meb Keflezighi, USA, Silver (2:11:29); Stefano Baldini, Italy, Gold (2:10:55); Vanderlei Lima, Brazil, Bronze (2:12:11). All photos by Victah Sailer/www.photorun.net.

When a marathon starts at six pm at night, and the averge temperature for the last two thousand years, on that VERY date and at that VERY time is about one hundred degrees, between friends, then it will be one hot marathon.

Marathons in championships are not normally good for the favorites. It is something about karma, it is something about luck, it is something about the fact that 197 countries field athletes in track and field, and that good athletes can come from ANYWHERE.

This marathon was viewed by moi from Glyfada, Greece, on ET-1, Greek's verion of PBS, and Eurosport, when I could take the Eurotrash talk, and not just enjoy the anonymity of the Greek broadcast.

The crowd was along the course, for most of the 26.2 miles, and the course is challenging, going up about 300 feet through 20 miles, then a smart downhill to the finish. The last three kilometers, which Adam and I walked every day for the past week, is boring, and undulating.

What is appropriate is ending in the 1896 stadium, which they call Panathianikon Stadium. The straightaways are 194 meters and the turns are under 28 meters, a bit special. An artificial surface covers the orginal, but the seats are made of the same stone that 40,000 folks filled one hundred and eight years ago.

The race started at 6 pm, and the pack of 45 took off at a rather pedestrian pace, of 15.57 for the first 5k, or about 5.10 pace, a 2.16 marathon pace. In the pack were Julio Rey of Spain, Robert Stefko of the Czech Republic, Lee Bong Ju, former Boston winner, Alan Culpepper, Meb Keflezighi (pictured at left), Viktro Rothin of Russia, and all the usual suspects.

The pack passed 10 in 31.54, with Rey, Vicktor Rothin, Vanderme de Lima of Brazil, Lee Bong Ju, and a crew from Ethiopia, Portugal, Spain, Russia. The second 5k was also run at 15.57.

All of the marathoners (including American Alan Culpepper at left) were grabbing their drinks and sponges--there were tables set up for each racer with numbers on them and their special concoctions.

At 15k, passed in 48.15, a 16.21 five kilometer, Ali Mabrook Al Ezi of Morocco had a small lead, but the pack, now lead by our friend Stefano Baldini ( remember, I picked him to medal), Paul Tergat, World Record Holder, and Julio Rey of Spain were in attendance.

Alan Culpepper and Meb Keflezighi were in next pack about 7-9 seconds back.

The next five kilometers took 15.39, and the half was reached in 1.07.41. That means really darn fast last half marathon, and the race is going to come down to, all do all marathon championships, a rush over the last 8 to 10k.

Our friend, Vanderlei de Lima of Brazil (photo left) shot out like a bolt of lightning right after the half marathon and started to build up a lead, putting fifteen seconds on the trailing pack of Baldini, Tergat, with Meb and Culpepper back three to five more seconds.

Now, fellow sports fans, someone always leads. The chess game is to figure out if they are a pretender to the crown or the real thing. How do we do that? We watch, we analyze, we offer up a goat, some kalmata olives and a nice bottle of Mythos beer (free plug, if a case arrives in Cambridge, Wisconsin, then I am happier).

Vanderlei de Lima started pushing and pushing. He was not thinking about coming back, this Brazilian ran in hot weather, ran some good times and knew what he was doing. He was, sports fans, trying to steal an Olympic race.

Between 20 and 30k, de Lima of Brazil put 46 seconds on the lead pack. He hit 30k in 1.33.12, and he had run that 5k in 15.29.

Now, the worst thing for a break away leader is for a pack to form of some real guns, who figure out that if they work together, they can real the Brazilian marathoner back in and get a medal. And is exactly what happened.

A pack, lead by Stefano Baldini of Italy, one of eleven children--he has five brothers and five sisters. Two time second placer at London, two time bronze medalist in World Champs-- Edmonton and Paris, and 1998 European champion, Stefano is the real thing. He races the last 12k of a marathon like the great marathoner of the 70s Karel Lismont, who won medals on his finshing pace.

Well Baldini, Tergat, Meb Keflezighi and Jon Brown gave chase. At 35k, in 1.50.09, a 15.05 by de Lima, the distance was down to 28 seconds.

Then, the unimaginable happened. At 1.52 into the race, about three miles from the finish, some nut runs onto the course, from the center of the road and throws a near perfect rubgy tackle (photo left) on de Lima, which pulls him from the course, and into the crowd for about ten to twelve seconds! The crowd grabs the guy, all in green and white with a bike bag over his shoulder and the Greek police were there.

De Lima gets on the road again, looking sore and his lead is down to eleven seconds.

Meanwhile, the pack of Baldini, Tergat and Meb Keflezighi is now down to Baldini and Meb, and they are storming up on De Lima.

At two hours, ten seconds, Baldini charges by De Lima, and did not even have time to give him a pat or anything. Baldini had a medal ceremony to get to, and he was running 14.39 pace-so there was some urgency.

Meb came by de Lima at 2 hours, one minute, ten seconds and the race was on.

De Lima, who had just been thrashed by what we are now told is someone protesting problems in the Middle East. That the guy was not torn to pieces by the crowd is amazing. I saw a couple of good rights and lefts, not from the police, but from crowds, who were trying to get de Lima free.

I suspect that neither Meb nor Baldini have any clue that De Lima has been thrashed.

Now, think about being Stefano Baldini right now. So if you have not seen Inside John Malkovich, bear with me. Baldini has been outkicked by some of the best. And there is now way in any level of the Purgatorio he is going to give up this darn medal, especially to an American. Oh, I forgot, Americans don't run marathon championships well ( oops, someone forgot to tell Bob Larson and Joe Vigil that their athletes don't run marathons well, take a note on that). Stefano is not about to let up the pace, as the Mebster has run 27.23 this year and he looks good-real good, like silver medal good.

Well, Meb is flying himself. He throws his hat down about two hours, four minutes, in a Ben Jipcho move, and he is off.

Stefano Baldini continues to push, and as he enters the stadium, just as it is getting dark, the crowd goes off screaming as Stefano is hitting the track. The crowd is screaming and ten brothers and sisters in Italy are starting the party, as Stefano Baldini wins the Olympic gold medal (photo above) for the marathon in 2.10.54.

The twelve brothers and sisters of Meb Keflezighi of the US, are also proud as our hero crosses himself twice at the line, and takes the silver in 2.11.29 (photo at left of Meb Keflezighi at the finish line with Stefano Baldini sitting on the track).

Vanderlie de Lima of Brazil, who tried to steal the race, got rugby jumped, still took the bronze in 2.12.11. Hey, ask the IOC about giving Vanderlie a rugby medal as well, he sure as heck deserves it.

In fourth, for the gut wrenching second time, was Jon Brown of Great Britian. Jon is a fine bloke who ran a fine race, but just did not get a medal.

It is nearly ten pm here on Sunday night. I am finishing this with a bit of sadness because I love the Olympics and international sport, and real life, or some nutcase with an agenda of destroying western civilization, intruded.

The ancient Olympics ended because of corruption and just plain cheating. Hats off to Jaques Rogge, the IOC President who has done some extraordinary things at this Games.

Every Olympics, the Isreali team has a memorial service for the Isreali athletes who were murdered in 1972 in Munich. Rogge, who competed in sailing in Munich had the attendees in tears with his thoughtful comments. He spoke from his heart. He also did something his predecessor, Juan Antonio Samaranch did not do-- he actually attened the service.

No matter what you think of Dick Pound, the WADA group and USADA made it harder for cheats to do their thing. Today, the gold medalist in the hammer, Annus, had his medal taken back, after he refused to show up for a urine test. Seems to have been a doubt on the validity of the sample he submitted after the hammer competition. And when WADA went to his door in Hungary, they were greeted by protesters. So IOC said, give us a sample by 9 am Sunday, or it is bye bye medal. So, medal gone.

The US team did well, and it did some dumb things. The distance athletes showed their stuff, with medals in both marathons, and nice runs by 1500m on up. But the relay snafus have got to stop. A national relay team is needed and athletes, agents, coaches and USATF have got to get this done.

Athens has been a great host, and we are going to visit some of the great historical sites the next few days and catch up with some friends. Ciao from Athens and see you next year in Helsinki and in 08, in Beijing!

At left, Brazil's Vanderlei de Lima proudly celebrates his hard-earned Olympic Bronze Medal at the men's marathon medal ceremony.

Special thanks to the Reebok events planning group and Reebok Running who provided our home away from home. For more information on Reebok running, check out http://www.reebokrunner.com.

atf newswire is published by shooting star media, inc. for the good of the sport. All rights reserved. Copyright 2004 by shooting star media, inc.

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----end of transmission. Larry Eder President-Running Network, LLC. http://www.runningnetwork.com Group Publisher-Shooting Star Media, Inc. http://www.shootingstarmediainc.com 920.563.2395, Fax, 920.563.7298 mobile, 608.239.3785