Greetings from the "original" marathon in Athens, Greece!

From Greece...finishing in the 1896 Stadium, running historic ground, finding ancient writing on bedrock!

This is my 17th annual "pilgrimage" to the place where our sport began--both track & field and marathoning.

There is something very special for marathoners in following the footsteps of Phidippides (over 2500 years ago) from the plain of Marathon to Athens. If there is one race that I'd recommend including on your "marathon to do list", this is it!

The Greeks invented the Olympics hundreds of years before Phidippides was born. This was the first regular event in history that inspired a world-wide truce, and elevated the pursuit of running excellence as something be respected and supported by itself.  Messengers, like Phidippides, were very capable professionals who were the weavers of the fabric of Greece. 

These messengers were amazing.  Not only were they expected to be ready to run 50 to 100 miles or more when needed, they negotiated treaties and business deals, investigated and gave recommendations to leaders.

Every year I learn new information about the background of the historical events that produced so many of the concepts we take for granted in our society: freedom, respect for the individual, the right to choose our leaders, etc. But I must give credit to Apostolos Greek Tours. The knowledgeable guides, the ease of getting around, the access to information is not provided by any other tour group I have investigated.

The 11 day tour members get to run on trails that I believe are similar to that experienced by the ancient messengers--and on the grounds where the ancient athletes ran. I feel a connection in the personal empowerment, the dedication, the attitude boost and the vitality bestowed by a run. After thousands of years, some things are constants.

This year's race was unusually cold (50F/9C) with a strong wind. Fortunately it was behind us for most of the race. My Apostolos Greek Tour runners liked my description of the course at first: only one hill. The qualifier was not so well received: it's 13 miles (21K) long. But once I explained how to use my run-walk run method, a lot of the anxiety left the room. During the race, it was common to hear the beeping of my run-walk-run timer. Many of our runners who were using my method for the first time ran personal records on this course that is usually about 20 minutes slower than an average course in the US.

The guides on the trips to Delphi, Mycene, Epidaurous, Acropolis, Sunio, museums, etc. filled in many background stories and facts that have not appeared in the books I used as a history major in college. As more and more sites are investigated and studied, more information is released each year.

While the Greek citizens are concerned about the future of their economy, very few are demonstrating. This diverse culture has weathered crises that were much greater than this one. We did not see any protests during our trips.

A highlight for me is running on a trail system to the top of a hill, near our hotel. There are ruins of what I believe to be a messenger lookout station. Last year, Barbara and I discovered, carved in the bedrock, messages which have been verified as being of ancient origin.

There are new surprises every year! 

 

Comments

[Katie Jones]

I ran the 2011 Athens Marathon with this group. After hearing Jeff's pre-race talk, I changed my mind the night before the race and decided to run/walk. I chose to do a 3:1 ratio. It was a spectacular race! My finishing time was 6 minutes faster than I was hoping to RUN the entire race. Not only did I have fun during the entire race, I stopped to take pictures (oh, the horrors! lol), use the porta-potties :) and then I proceeded to pass well over 150 people during the last 7K I ran fully. In fact, my speed, according to the MyPace info provided by Marathon-Photos.com, was fastest at the end :)

I can't wait to do my second marathon... after having trained with this method!
KatieJ
Germany

[Regulo Zapata]

Thank you Jeff, for sharing such an extraordinary & fascinating story of this Historical Ancient event on running Marathons in Athens Greece. Its great news and very inspirational to hear of your recent 17th annual "pilgrimage" in running the Marathon in Athens Greece this year 2011. I wish I could have been there with you. There is definitely something that makes me want to go visit this historical place in Athens Greece to run the Marathon with you next year. My wife and I plan on doing this Marathon Run in Athens Greece next year! We did miss you at this years Big Sur Half Marathon Monterey Bay on Nov 20, 2011. It was such a beautiful day running along the beaches thru Cannery Row and Pacific Grove Costal Beaches. We read you book (Galloway Training Programs) and the tips have helped in running the Half Marathon, but we look forward to running the Full Marathon in January 2012. Thank you Jeff, I enjoyed reading your Blog Newsletter. Keep up the great work see next year 2012.

Regulo Zapata Jr.

[IRunNewEngland]

I ran this in 1995 when I lived in Crete. It was an epic race that is the crowning achievement of my athletic life!
To run in the same place as the ancients...Starting IN Marathon! It's a thrill that will be hard to ever match.
It's also the place of my best Marathon time 4:20.
Hopa!