Day 189 – EU – Greece [Athens to Marathon]

29/08/20

41km

  From Athens (Greece) to Marathon (Greece)

Europe

From Athens Olympic Stadium to Marathon – where my love for running was instilled – and 8 support crew on the road!

Absolutely beautiful day on the road. I had been awaiting this day for a long time and it did not disappoint. I made my way to the Olympic marble Stadium at 6am and met with Petros (running) and Lefteris (on bike). Petros and I ran the Athens Marathon for fun in 2011 and we have great memories of the run – including the last 7 kilometers where Petros started cramping and he kept going with very stiff legs. The run was followed by a festive taverna meal where vodka was drunk generously!

We were not even 2 kilometres into the run when Giorgos and Panagiotis sprung from the side of the road to join us running! Total surprise. All three guys, Petros, Giorgos and Panagiotis were part of the 1st group we organised, in 2009, to race Ironman Frankfurt as a Greek Team. Very fond memories of training and traveling together as well as festive celebrations after the race (and other races in the years that followed).

Giorgos, Panagiotis and Lefteris left us at km12 – leaving just Petros and I running together. Having virtually no training at all (Petros mainly swims) his legs started to feel heavy halfway through and we took it very easy from this point on, taking breaks as we needed and chatting our way through Marathon Avenue. We passed by the statue of Pheidippides at the halfway point. Pheidippides ran from Marathon to Athens to deliver news of the battle of Marathon. Legend has it that he died of exhaustion upon reaching Athens having announced the Greek victory with the words “we won!”.

10km before the finish, another Georgios met us on the road and started running along. That’s when Dimitris Moraitis (my running mentor back in 2003, whom I credit with instilling the love of running into me) met us on the bike. We turned from Marathon Avenue into the country around the “Tomb of Marathon” (where the battle was won). Then 5km before the finish, Katerina and Dimitra, two swimmers & runners ran along to give us a nice springy finish!

What a day this has been for me, such a treat to get the support. We spent the rest of the day by the sea, and I had a lot to catch up with, having not visited the area for the past 4 years. Tomorrow is a day off and there will be a lot more reunions. There is so much more to say – but in a nutshell, this place is where it all started for me. I came here as a 26 years-old, having fun in life but slightly directionless. The people I met here shaped me into a runner and revived my love for the outdoors and channeling my energy the right way.

Check my daily run GPS data on or

Here is the map of today’s run: