Athens Authentic Marathon

 More than 45,000 runners from 92 countries participated in Athens' Authentic Marathon run on November 13, 2022

The run traces the steps of Phedippides, a news bearing Athenian soldier, who announced the victory of Greeks against the Persians at the Marathon battle in 490 BC.

Pheidippides collapsed and died after he said νενικηκαμεν that translates to "we won"

The Marathon race became one of the most competitive events during the revival of the Olympic Games in 1896 in Athens.  Spyros Louis won the gold medal in the first modern Olympics and became a legend in Greece.

The Marathon Race represents the highest effort in which the human body, soul and mind are tested to their limits as the runner presses to reach the finish line.

Here the young and not so young runners near the finish line in the Panathenaikon Stadium in Athens an unforgettable moment for the athletes, their families and friends.

This year a 91-year-old, Stelios Prassas participated and completed the Marathon run.  His success reminds us what humans can accomplish if they are physically gifted and have the will to train and prepare for the ultimate test in human endurance.

Fires

On July 23, 2018 three fires erupted near Athens with the one at the coastal resort town of Mati being catastrophic.  In the picture the flames are advancing fanned by strong winds.

Dense smoke is advancing in the main road that connects the fields of Marathon with Athens.

Unfortunately instead of turning cars back on the main road, Marathon Avenue, police created diversions and sent drivers heading towards the area about to be devastated by the fire. This created a traffic jam and panic with hundred of cars being burned and creating further destruction.

A house totally engulfed by flames.

Hundreds of people were forced into the sea to escape the flames.   Those in the sea had to wait for hours until help arrived primarily from local fishermen.

Sadly 99 persons lost their lives and 24 are still in hospitals 4 of who are in critical condition.  They either burned to death, suffocated by smoke or drowned.  In one area, the bodies of 26 adults and children who appeared to have died hugging each other were found.  The government said the fires were started by arsonists and blamed illegal construction for blocking escape routes.   No arsonist was found as of the day of this writing. 

In my opinion the extent of the death and destruction was caused by the reasons below:

1.  Incompetent officials did not alert the people of the affected area and did not enforced evacuation. 

2. Dry undergrowth in vacant lots is present in every suburban neighborhood. Municipalities and owners alike ignore it although common sense dictates that it is the perfect kindle to start and propagate a fire.

3. The common practice of throwing cigarettes from cars instead of extinguishing them in the car’s ashtray.  It is noteworthy that 34 per cent of Greeks are smokers.

4. The present and previous governments tolerated the illegal home construction without due consideration of city planning.  

5.   Hot and dry summers in Greece.

6.   Strong seasonal winds in the summer.

7. The pan-European emergency number 112 that was supposed to be operational in 2016 is not functional as of this day in Greece.

8.  Finally, another danger lurks and will claim victims in the future.   As the many first responders (firefighters, police officers and volunteers) did not wear masks during the clean up operation.  It is not only lung injury from exposure to smoke, but exposure to asbestos a prevalent material in the homes that were ruined that will cause diseases such as mesothelioma and lung cancer many years down the road when the fire at Mati will be a distant memory.

The mishandling of the fires by the authorities has already been widely criticized by residents caught up in the disaster and the media alike.  It is time the glaring mistakes to be corrected and the incompetent authorities to be brought to justice and pay for their mistakes which if not corrected will result in similar tragedies. Unfortunately, the failings from Greek politicians and public sector authorities alike will have to be examined: The toxic mixture of corruption, carelessness, deferral of responsibility are the reasons that disasters like at Mati are all too common.  It is my hope and wish that the pain and anger from this disaster become a springboard for fundamental reforms that will address the deep-seated flaws of Greek bureaucracy, flaws that do not allow for a functioning state to be developed.

The first Modern Olympics and the Boston Marathon

In the first modern Olympics, 64 athletes, all men, from ten nations competed. 17 runners began the race at Marathon and only 9 finished at the newly constructed all marble Stadium that is close to the Acropolis.  Spyridon Louis a native of Greece with no prior running experience or training finished first.  He ran the 40 kilometers over dusty roads in 2 hours, 58 minutes, 50 seconds.  The Greek public was overjoyed and when he arrived in the stadium the Greek Crown Prince accompanied him on his final lap.     

Louis would never again compete in a race, but his victory made him a national hero.

In the 1896 Athens Olympics, the United States was one of 9 nations that competed thanks to sponsorship of the athletes by the Boston Athletic Association.  The United States won 17 medals, to 10 for Greece, 3 for Hungary, 2 for Australia, France and United Kingdom, and 1 for Germany.

 

The first annual Boston Athletic Association marathon was conducted on April 19, 1897, the date chosen to commemorate the famous ride of Paul Revere in 1775.  Fifteen runners started the 24.5 mile race, which was lengthened to 26.2 miles in 1924, and ten finished. Two nations claim, John J McDermott, the athlete who won the first Boston Marathon.  He was either American from New York or Canadian from Nova Scotia.  He finished in 2 hours, 55 minutes and 10 seconds.  The illustration that appeared on April 20, 1987 on the Globe depicts the race through the eyes of the artist.

 

In 1946, on the 50^th Boston Marathon another Greek, Stylianos Kyriakides, won the race at 2 hours, 29 minutes, 27 seconds.  According to a press release "The winner used his victory as a call to action to aid his war and famine-ravaged homeland. Kyriakides, who narrowly escaped execution during World War II, hadn't run in six years when he came to Boston in 1946, with the help of Greek-American benefactors (George and Spear Demeter). He was emaciated from the famine during the World War II Nazi occupation of Greece, and at one point was told by doctors in Boston he wouldn't be allowed to run because they were afraid he would die in the streets. That backdrop only added to the almost mythic race performance, in which he defeated the defending champion and set the best time in the world for 1946. Nearly a million people greeted him on his return to Athens in May 1946, when he came back with food, medicine, clothing and other essentials donated by Americans who wanted to help the war-ravaged Greece."

In 2013, two bombs exploded near the finish line at Copley Square in Boston.  This year Meb Keflezighi who came to the U.S. at age 12 from Eritrea became the first American since 1983 to win one of the most memorable victories in the Boston Marathon’s 118-year history.  With the backdrop of last year’s tragedy, and in front of those wounded and to commemorate the memory of those killed – Martin Richard, 8, Lingzi Lu, 23, Sean Collier, 27, Krystle Campbell, 29, - Keflezinghi raised his arm in victory when he crossed the finish line in 2 hours, 8 minutes, 37 seconds.  He then kissed the ground, took a bow, broke into tears and said, “I just used their energy” referring to the four killed and the many wounded a year ago.