The Authentic Athens Marathon and its important history

The Athens Classic Marathon, or the “Authentic”,  is one of the most important sports events hosted by the city of Athens. Thousands of runners from all over the world participate in every year’s race. Apart from the sportive event, they have the chance to enjoy Greek hospitality, to discover the fascinating landscape and to explore a city which is constantly improving its standards.

Every year, friends from all over the world participate in the Athens Marathon and enjoy every minute of it! Those friends usually also ran other marathons before, in other countries, but from their sayings, it seems that the finish line in the Panathinaiko Stadium (also called “Kalimarmaro} in centre Athens, is really the cherry on the cake,  very rewarding, beautiful, and touching.

Even when you are not an Athlete, like me, it is interesting to read about the history of the Marathon, and cheering along the 42 km is always an adventure. I personally love this event a lot, and get very emotional to see how many runners from all over the world join forces and create an amazing atmosphere.

The Marathon story

The Marathon Race has its roots in Antiquity. It all started since the Persian wars, when the Persians tried to occupy the Greek cities. One of the most important battles in Greek history took place in Marathon, northeast of Athens, in 498 BC. In this crucial battle, the Athenians managed to defeat the Persians, who normally were much stronger. Following the legend, the soldier Phidippides was asked to run from the battlefield to Athens, in order to announce their victory. He ran around 42  kilometers from the village of Marathon to Athens without any stop. As a messenger, he also had to run armed. As soon as he entered the assembly, he cried out “we won” and immediately after that he fell down and died.

Many centuries later, the marathon race was established in honor of Phidippides, and now you also know the reason why all the marathons around the world are called ‘marathon’ !

Some facts about the Athens Marathon

This race did not exist during antiquity. It was established during the first modern Olympic Games, organized in Athens in 1896. The French Professor, Michel Bréal , is credited with the idea of the marathon race. He was also a friend of Pierre de Coubertin, who proposed the revival of the Olympic Games. The winner of the first Marathon was Spyros Louis, a water carrier from Maroussi (you can find a statue of him in the Municipality of Maroussi (*) , in North Athens, and the Maroussi municipal sports complex is also named after him).

The route from the village of Marathon till center Athens

Today the Marathon race is held in many major cities around the world, but there is only one “Authentic Marathon”, taking place every year in Athens, beginning of November.
The starting point is in Marathon itself, a small village.
At  5th km, the athletes make a loop and run around the Marathon Tomb (a monument to honor the soldiers killed in the Persian battle) and then continue onto the Marathon Avenue, connecting the village of Marathon with Athens.

The route passes through many municipalities: Nea Makri, Pikermi, Pallini, Agia Paraskevi etc.

The last kilometer of the route the runners pass from the Vassilissis Sofias avenue, where athletes run along the American Embassy, ​​the Megaron Concert Hall  the National Gallery, and pass also the beautiful sculpture “the Runner”, by K. Varotsos.
Read more about Varotsos masaresi.com/varotsos-zongolopoulos/

 

The most difficult Marathon!

The Athens Marathon is known as one of the most challenging marathons due to its difficult terrain and elevation. Unlike flatter marathon courses where world records are typically set, the Athens route has a steady, grueling incline for much of the race, with a significant uphill stretch between kilometers 10 and 31. This climb, combined with Greece’s often warm and sunny weather, makes it especially tough on runners. The Athens Marathon retraces the legendary route from Marathon to Athens, which adds to its historical appeal and we can call it the “Authentic”, but also makes it less suited for record-breaking performances.

Take a look at runners during the last 2 km

 

The Kalimarmaro Stadium

The finishing point is at the Panathinaiko Stadium or Kalimarmaro, the beautiful stadium where the first modern Olympic Games took place in 1896.

 

 

Why the Marathon is 42,195 km long?

The standard marathon distance of 42.195 kilometers (26.2 miles) has its origins in the 1908 London Olympics.
Initially, the marathon distance varied, often around 40 kilometers, based on the approximate distance between Marathon and Athens in ancient Greece, where the legendary run of the messenger Pheidippides took place.
However, in 1908, the course in London was extended so the race could start at Windsor Castle and finish in front of the royal box at the Olympic Stadium—a distance of exactly 42.195 kilometers. This distance was later adopted as the official marathon length by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) in 1921 and has remained the standard ever since.

 

When the Athens Marathon takes place?

The Athens Marathon always takes place on a Sunday during the beginning of November.
Simultaneously with the marathon run, also other events take place during the entire weekend:

• Power walking
• 5 km Road Race
• 10 km Road Race

For more information, visit the official Marathon site.