KÜMME - ATEENA

10

ATHENS MARATHON

NOVEMBER 2021

On a flight back to Estonia from the Beer Lovers’ Marathon in Belgium, my friend Kristel said to me: “Hey, your marathon jubilee is up ahead. Make sure you pick an awesome place to race.” That’s right, it’s my first marathon jubilee, my tenth. It must be celebrated! And what could be a better way and place to do it than to run the most authentic marathon ever in Athens!

I had just finished reading a book titled What I Talk About When I Talk About Running by my favourite author Haruki Murakami. I discovered that one of my favourite authors is also a passionate runner. Murakami was in Greece for work, and since it’s where the original marathon route is located, he decided to run it full length and write a story about it. It was a high summer day when he set out to run the 42 km from Athens to Marathon all by himself. The original path, raced by the tens of thousands each year, starts at the Olympic Stadium in the town of Marathon and finishes at the ancient Panathenaic Stadium in Athens. Despite the locals advising against his crazy idea to run in such extreme conditions, the Japanese displayed great resilience by refusing to give up, and so he finished his solo marathon in the blistering summer heat.

Murakami ran the marathon backwards from Athens to Marathon because it is easier that way. Although, a 42 km run in the middle of summer in Athens, when high temperatures force locals to stay indoors, and even dogs escape from heat, sounds downright mad in itself already. To prevent getting a heat stroke, Murakami started running well before dawn at 4.30 in order to finish before the sun reaches high. He got a severe sunburn nonetheless. As if this wasn’t gruesome enough, that morning he counted thirty dead dogs and fourteen dead cats along the highway. Certainly not the nicest of sights.

It was his very first marathon, and to add in fairness, he also completed the original race, from Marathon to Athens, a couple of years later.

Organising marathon trips usually consists of three parts. First, you have to secure your place at the start. Once you receive a confirmation letter from the organisers, saying you’re good to go, the next step is to book your flights and then find a suitable place to stay. To me the whole process of looking for a hotel is very exciting. Photos on the booking platforms, however, rarely match the reality. The photos of the hotel I ended up picking this time were quite modest, and the price was also on the low side. Yet again, location was a key factor. Since the start area was 40 km outside of Athens, it was my goal to find a place as close to the finish as possible. I trusted my gut when I made my choice, and it didn’t let me down. Another upside of the hotel, besides being virtually next to the Panathenaic Stadium, was that it was within a pleasant walk from the railway station. There is good metro connection between the airport and Athens, which makes it not only comfortable, but affordable as well. But the best surprise struck me when I arrived. The Royal Olympic Hotel was like an oasis in the middle of the desert, and I was given a higher-grade room. And what an amazing view from the restaurant window! The heart of Athens was as if on the palm of the hand, and the view of the Acropolis just the cherry on top. In any case, if you plan to run a marathon in Athens and you’re looking for a place to stay then Royal Olympic Hotel is your best choice!

View to the Acropolis from Royal Olympic Hotel Restaurant

Now it’s time to go to the marathon EXPO to collect my race number. Even though the organisers had provided the info on which buses and trams go to the Faliro Indoor Hall & Exhibition Centre, I was sure I would get there by metro as well, especially as a metro stop of its name actually existed and Google Maps also confirmed me in my hotel room that I’d be heading in the right direction. Since taking a tram or bus to the exhibition centre seemed far too complicated for someone first time in Athens, I decided to take the metro. I got off in Faliro metro stop where the exhibition centre should have been, but I literally found myself in the middle of nowhere. Besides me there was also a bewildered runner from Austria, and together we started searching for our destination. Google Maps told us to go one way, but based on logic, we should have headed in a completely different way. Moreover, there were two four-lane motorways, the crossing of which seemed like a suicide mission. It really wasn't in my plans, so we asked a local man for directions, who at first told us to go one way...

And then in the other...

Fortunately, Google Maps finally nudged us in the right direction, and after 8 km of going in circles, we made it to the EXPO just as the sun was going down. It seems like most Athens Marathon runners are locals since the car park was completely full. What I can say is that not much thought had been given to tourists because if you’re not familiar with the city nor the bus and tram routes, it’s really hard to find this place.

The EXPO itself however was impressive. All the latest trends in running were represented. If anyone needed to re-up their gear, it had everything one could think of. And all runners were welcome to write their good wishes on a white wall.

Now that I had collected my race T-shirt and number, and learnt all about the new trends, it was time to go back to the hotel. But how? There didn’t seem to be any taxis to take me to the city centre, but thankfully, Google Maps helped me find the nearest bus stop, which was of course in the most random place ever. Anyway, the adventure I had to embark on to get my race number was nothing but ridiculous. My advice to all marathon tourists is to either thoroughly examine the bus and tram routes beforehand or rent a car to get to the exhibition centre.

Vising the EXPO was a real challenge, and by the end of the day my phone displayed 12 km, practically a warm-up for the marathon. When I got back to the hotel, I was in a sulky mood and hungry, but dinner at the hotel’s rooftop restaurant with the view to the Parthenon once again put a smile on my face. 

Next day began with a walk in the Old Town. Athens is one of the oldest cities in the world and there's proof of it at every step. There are monuments from the Roman, Byzantium as well as Ottoman eras that have survived in the city. Its pristine streets are narrow and winding, alternating with centuries of old memorials.

Lush orange trees embellish house entrances and the front doors are like wonderful pieces of art.

As a dog person, I immediately notice how many dogs there are in Athens. Most of them are on a leash, but I saw a larger one that was unleashed with its master tagging five metres behind. I’m not afraid of dogs, but those who are might not find it a nice experience to have a big Dobermann running at them along a narrow street. 

A mandatory dog photo. Just in case, the English setter was firmly on a short leash.

And the Acropolis is definitely a must-visit place among tourists. The surface area of the citadel is roughly three hectares, and it is situated on a rocky outcrop 150 metres above sea level. The Acropolis of Athens was completed in 5 BC, and today, it is known as an archaeological site. 

The first sizable landmark catching my eye is the Theatre of Dionysus on the southern slope. It was fully completed in 4 BC with the capacity of up to 17,000, and it was in continuous use down to the Roman era.

The Theatre of Dionysus

But the Parthenon is the most well-known building of the Acropolis of Athens. Despite having been seriously damaged over the course of different wars, it’s still the most important surviving monument of Classical Greece. The Parthenon is dedicated to the goddess of Athena, whom the Greek considered their patron. It is also a symbol of ancient Greece, democracy and Western civilisation, and one of the world’s greatest cultural monuments. 

I doubted whether climbing up the mountain just before race day was really the best thing to do. But when I was standing on the highest point of the Acropolis, surrounded with centuries of old stones, enjoying the amazing view over Athens, I knew that it was definitely the right decision to come here.

After all the mandatory tourist attractions have been visited, I should re-focus on why I really came to Athens – to run my tenth marathon.

The race starts in the town of Marathon 40 km outside of Athens. It is believed that the town has received its name after the herb fennel as there's plenty of it around. “Marathon” in ancient Greek literally means “a place full of fennels”. The town became famous after the Athenians defeated the Persian army in the Battle of Marathon in 490 BC. According to the legend, a Greek runner named Pheidippides was given the order to run to Athens to deliver the news of victory, but tragically, he died whilst on his way. In honour of this event, the first modern marathon was raced at the 1896 Olympic Games. Today, the race takes place once a year in November. The locals regard it with great pride. They beat their chest saying: “This is the world’s only authentic marathon.” I guess we must to take their word for it.

All runners have access to organised transport to the start area. Buses departed from different stops around Athens early in the morning. Faster runners, aka the first group, had to wake up a bit earlier because their buses left between 5.30 to 6.15. Slower runners, myself included, could sleep a little longer since our buses left between 6.15 to 6.45. I gave myself a pat on the back for my choice of hotel because the nearest bus stop was just within 500 metres. I left the hotel ten minutes before six in total darkness. Athens in early morning was full of runners, who were all moving in the same direction, so there was no need to be afraid of getting lost. Everything went smoothly, and at 7 o’clock in the morning, I arrived in Marathon with sunrise.

The first mandatory photo had to be taken by the town signpost of Marathon.

The second one of the statue of Nike, the goddess of victory.

And then runners were guided to their sectors to wait for their starting time. My group had to wait slightly less than three hours. It made no sense, why was it necessary to be there three hours earlier? There was nothing for us to do and so I just sat and waited. I could have used that time to finish a book. If only I had known this before!

Another thing, watching men slather themselves in vaseline was nothing short of a comedy show, if you ask me. Once they’re out of the bus, they run to the nearest bush to apply vaseline between their thighs. Since we had three hours to spare with practically nothing to do, it's perhaps the only way to kill time.

I mean, why won’t they just buy slightly longer pants? Instead they’re all wearing shorts, and 10 km in they will have chafed inner thighs. Never before have I seen so many medical tents along the course with vaseline jars neatly in line, and every time I passed one, there was always some guy rubbing their legs in.

The garbage dumps along the course grew bigger as I got closer to the start, all because there weren't any containers around, so all the empty drinking bottles and vaseline jars were simply thrown to the sidewalk. There were people with picket signs protesting against littering because no one wants to clean up other people’s trash in their backyard.

The situation was especially depressing at drink stations where they handed out water in small bottles. Most runners only took a few sips, and pretty much full bottles were just thrown on the street. What a waste! Fortunately, things got better as I reached Athens where they had set up large garbage containers in short intervals between drink stations. Runners are first of all humans who care about the environment, so all the used bottles flew right in the the bins where they belong. It’s like two different teams had organised the marathon – in and outside of Athens.

Another big problem was the lack of toilets both in the town of Marathon and on the course. The lines were so long that most runners chose to relieve themselves in nature. Myself included. When I was 10 km in, I couldn’t hold it any longer, so I was forced to relieve myself in someone’s garden, with only a half a metre stone wall separating me from other runners.

The bottom line is that you never really know what's ahead of you, for instance, when you're going somewhere for the first time in your life, but, be that as it may, setting out to run the world’s most authentic marathon, you’re bound to expect something more festive and also better reception. But small troubles like these weren’t enough to bring me down because one shouldn't be bothered by things and situations they cannot change. 

But let's get back to running. At last the three hour wait is over and we're permitted on the course.

The first kilometres take me slightly downhill. There are olive groves next to the course and a nice breeze brushes against my cheek as I’m running. Local women with children are handing out olive branches to runners by the course. The Greeks attribute lots of meaning to an olive tree. It symbolises abundance, health, beauty and wisdom. It's also a symbol of peace. 

Feeling grateful, I attach an olive branch onto my race number and continue running. Actually, it’s quite awesome to be on a marathon route with such incredible history. Images of a courier on this same path carrying an important note flash before my eyes. I'm enjoying the run and the first 10 km pass unnoticed, but then the race continues uphill. I climb on top of the hill and breathe a sigh of relief, feeling glad that it’s behind me, and that I can finally take it easy on a slight descent. A stretch of level ground follows, and the next ascent is already beckoning. And just when I had conquered another hill and went downhill for a short while, I realised that it was but a small bump in front of a bigger one ahead. Absolute torture!

I always take some time to briefly check out the route before a race, so this time I also noticed that there was a slight ascent. But there was one tiny detail I had overlooked – distance and the highest point. It only became clear when I was already on the course that there was sustained elevation that extended from 10 to 31 km, the highest point being 272 metres. 21 km of climbing uphill! If I had known this before, would I still have come here? I don’t know. Luckily, there are some locals dancing Zorbas, the Greek folk dance, along the course just before another climb begins. Loud music momentarily distracts me from the challenging course and I’m running to the beat of the music. What a great timing, Zorbas gave me a real boost!

Every once in a while, there is a bus passing right next to the course to pick up those unable to finish. Many have found this incredibly challenging course too much to take, and so they're wrapped in foil blankets like tortilla wraps, loaded on the bus and it’s game over for them. I have no thoughts of quitting, so I’ll be brave and keep on going. I focus on putting one foot in front of the other. Right now, nothing else matters. 

To my left, there is a woman trudging uphill, it's evident from her body language that she's really struggling. My progress on the course cannot be described as overly enthusiastic either. Our bodies speak louder than words. To my right, however, there is a man observing our efforts, and he says to us most casually: “Don’t worry, girls, just 8 more kilometres uphill and then it’s all the way downhill!” Another 8 km of torture! I think to myself that I should make sure to examine the route really thoroughly next time I plan to run a marathon. It was only later that I learnt talking to other runners that this incredibly long climb is precisely the reason why many decide not to race at the Athens Marathon.

Athens Marathon Race Route

The air is dry and sweat evaporises instantly, leaving my skin covered with a white layer of salt. The salt burns my skin. But despite all struggles, I reach the marker of the highest point while being cheered on by the spectators, and the last 11 km continue downhill already. I squeeze out every last bit of strength, and ultimately make it to the end. It’s a truly transcendent moment to finish the race at the famous Panathenaic Stadium. It’s one of the greatest tourist attractions in Athens, and also the only stadium in the world built entirely of marble. After renovation, it hosted the opening and closing ceremonies of the first modern Olympics in 1896. It is also the last venue in Greece from where the Olympic flame handover ceremony to the host nation takes place. With its rather imposing history, it marks the finish of the annual Athens Marathon.

I hope I didn’t intimidate you with all this talk about the difficulty of the course because both Athens and the Authentic Marathon are absolutely worth discovering!