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.

The Battle of Marathon and the Race it Inspired

The Battle of Marathon took place in 490 BC, during the first Persian invasion of Greece.  It was fought by the citizens of Athens, aided by few citizens of Plataea, against the forces of the King Darius I. 

The Persian force sailed to Attica, landing in the bay near the town of Marathon. The Athenians, despite having a smaller force, proved devastatingly effective against the Persian infantry.  The Battle of Marathon was a watershed in the Greco-Persian wars. Since the following two hundred years saw the rise of the Classical Greek civilization, it is considered as a pivotal moment in European history and western civilization. 

The Battle of Marathon is also known as the inspiration for the Marathon race.   Legend has it that Pheidippides or Philippides (Greek: Φειδιππίδης), a Greek hoplite, at the completion of the battle run to Athens in full gear and announced the victory with a single word “Νενικηκαμεν» which means we won.  Historians tell us that upon uttering the words ”we won” he died succumbing to exhaustion. The Athenian soldier before his legendary run, he also completed a two-day run to Sparta to seek help against the invading Persians.  That ultra-marathon is also commemorated with a 153 mile annual race from Athens to Sparta called Spartathon. 

Pheidippides’ run was re-enacted as an athletic event and introduced in the first modern Olympic games, in Athens Greece.  Acropolis seen in this picture from the Stadium was likely the site where Pheidippides ended his celebrated run.  The modern's race finish line is in the all marble Stadium built for the first Olympics in 1896.