Athens Classic Marathon
| Athens Classic Marathon | |
|---|---|
 Panathinaiko Stadium is the finishing point of the race | |
| Date | Early November |
| Location | Athens, Greece |
| Event type | Road |
| Distance | Marathon |
| Established | 1972 |
| Official site | Athens Marathon |
The Athens Classic (authentic) Marathon is an annual marathon road race held in Athens, Greece, normally in early November. The race attracted 43.000 competitors in 2015 of which 16.000 were for the 42km course, both numbers being an all time record for the event.[1] The rest of the runners competed in the concurrent 5 and 10 kilometres road races and the racewalking contest.
The marathon course is based on the legend from which the race gained its name: Pheidippides, a messenger in Ancient Greece, ran from the Battle of Marathon to Athens to announce the Greeks' victory over the Persians.[2] The provenance of the competitive race is traced back to the Marathon race at the 1896 Olympics.[3] The Athens Classic Marathon began in 1972 as a joint venture between the Greek tourist board and athletics association.[4] The race came under the auspices of the current organisers and SEGAS in 1983 and has since become a major race, being awarded Gold Label Road Race status by the IAAF.[5][6]
It is perhaps one of the most difficult major marathon races: the course is uphill from the 10 km mark to the 31 km mark – the toughest uphill climb of any major marathon.[7] The course begins in the town of Marathon, where it passes the tomb of the Athenian soldiers, and it traces a path near the coast through Nea Makri. Following the steep rise, the course goes lightly downhill towards the city of Athens.[8] It passes a statue of a runner (Ο Δρομέας) in the city centre before finishing up at the Panathinaiko Stadium;[9] a site for athletics competitions in ancient times and the finishing point for both the 1896 and 2004 Olympic marathons.[8]
In 1982, the organisers dedicated the race to Grigoris Lambrakis, an athlete and Member of the Greek Parliament, whose murder in the 1960s has become an inspirational cause for advocates of human rights.[2] Since 2007 the Association of International Marathons and Distance Races has organised an annual International Marathon Symposium in Marathon town the day prior to the race. Taking from the tradition of the Olympic Torch, the race features the Marathon Flame, which is lit at the Tomb of the Battle of Marathon and carried to the stadium in Marathon before the beginning of each race.[10] The 2010 edition of the event was combined with the celebration of the 2500th anniversary of the Battle of Marathon.[11]
Greek competitors have traditionally been strong in the men's and women's competitions. However, East Africans and Japanese runners have increasingly become the dominant runners from 1999 onwards.[12] Since 1990, the Athens Classic Marathon has often served as the Greek national championships for the marathon event.[5][13] The current course records are 2:10:37 hours for men, set by Felix Kandie in 2014, while Rasa Drazdauskaitė's run of 2:31:06 in 2010 is the quickest by a woman on the course.[11]
Past winners
Key: Course record Greek championship race
| Year | Men's winner | Time (h:m:s) |
Women's winner | Time (h:m:s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 |  Hristóforos Meroúsis (GRE) |
2:21:22 |  Minori Hayakari (JPN) |
2:52:06 |
| 2014 |  Felix Kandie (KEN) |
2:10:37 | Naomi Maiyo (KEN) |
2:41:06 |
| 2013 | Hillary Yego (KEN) |
2:13:51 | Nancy Rotich (KEN) |
2:41:32 |
| 2012 | Raymond Bett (KEN) |
2:11:35 | Consalater Yadaa (KEN) |
2:40:00 |
| 2011 |  Abdelkrim Boubker (MAR) |
2:11:40 |  Elfeneshe Melkamu (ETH) |
2:35:25 |
| 2010 | Raymond Bett (KEN) |
2:12:40 |  Rasa Drazdauskaitė (LTU) |
2:31:06 |
| 2009 | Josephat Ngetich (KEN) |
2:13:44 | Akemi Ozaki (JPN) |
2:39:56 |
| 2008 | Paul Lekuraa (KEN) |
2:12:42 | Mai Tagami (JPN) |
2:36:58 |
| 2007 | Benjamin Korir (KEN) |
2:14:40 |  Svetlana Ponomarenko (RUS) |
2:33:19 |
| 2006 | Henry Tarus (KEN) |
2:17:46 | Chikako Ogushi (JPN) |
2:40:45 |
| 2005 | James Saina (KEN) |
2:16:15 | .svg.png){kind=small} Sisay Measo (ETH) |
2:38:39 |
| 2004 | Frederick Cherono (KEN) |
2:15:28 | Alemu Zinash (ETH) |
2:41:11 |
| 2003 |  Zebedayo Bayo (TAN) |
2:16:59 |  Nadezhda Wijenberg (NED) |
2:43:18 |
| 2002 | Mark Saina (KEN) |
2:18:20 |  Sonja Oberem (GER) |
2:37:29 |
| 2001 | Noah Bor (KEN) |
2:19:26 | Sonja Oberem (GER) |
2:36:15 |
| 2000 | Nikólaos Poliás (GRE) |
2:20:50 | Yeoryía Abatzídou (GRE) |
2:53:00 |
| 1999 | Masato Yonehara (JPN) |
2:18:35 | Tamaki Okuno (JPN) |
2:46:46 |
| 1998 | Nikólaos Poliás (GRE) |
2:18:38 |  Joy Smith (USA) |
2:50:52 |
| 1997 | Gerasimos Kokotos (GRE) |
2:31:47 | Melissa Hurta (USA) |
2:54:43 |
| 1996 | Nikitas Markakis (GRE) |
2:33:15 | Panagiota Petropoulou (GRE) |
2:56:42 |
| 1995 | Nikólaos Poliás (GRE) |
2:27:27 | Panagiota Nikolakopoulou (GRE) |
2:59:45 |
| 1994 | Christos Dumas (GRE) |
2:27:27 | Kleri Stavropoulou (GRE) |
3:21:32 |
| 1993 | Nikólaos Poliás (GRE) |
2:28:12 | Panagiota Petropoulou (GRE) |
3:15:56 |
| 1992 | Christos Dumas (GRE) |
2:31:15 | Reiko Hirosawa (JPN) |
3:05:24 |
| 1991 | Theodoros Fotopoulos (GRE) |
2:28:18 | Sofia Sotiriadou (GRE) |
2:59:29 |
| 1990 |  Johan Engholm (SWE) |
2:26:33 |  Prudence Taylor (NZL) |
2:59:15 |
| 1989 | Jan van Rijthoven (NED) |
2:23:19 | Leslie Lewis (USA) |
2:37:42 |
| 1988 |  Fedor Ryzhov (URS) |
2:17:33 | Magdalini Poulimenou (GRE) |
2:50:59 |
| 1987 |  Kevin Flanegan (RSA) |
2:25:14 | Irina Bogachova (URS) |
2:43:37 |
| 1986 | .svg.png){kind=small} Jos vander Water (BEL) |
2:27:22 |  Signe Ward (NOR) |
3:06:58 |
| 1985 | Michael Hill (SWE) |
2:26:20 |  Eryl Davies (GBR) |
3:04:30 |
| 1984 | Leon Swanepoel (RSA) |
2:28:53 | Barbara Balzer (USA) |
2:58:30 |
| 1983 | Martin J. McCarthy (GBR) |
2:25:34 |  Hanne Jensen (DEN) |
3:20:33 |
| 1982 | Rick Callison (USA) |
2:27:29 | Ella Grimm (DEN) |
3:07:41 |
| 1981 | Yiannis Kouros (GRE) |
2:32:50 | Britta Sorensen (DEN) |
3:16:00 |
| 1980 |  Jean-Paul Didim (FRA) |
2:34:32 | Arlene Volmer (USA) |
3:17:07 |
| 1979 | Richard Belk (GBR) |
2:31:21 |  Gaby Birrer (SUI) |
3:34:21 |
| 1978 |  Danny Flynn (AUS) |
2:27:22 | Alexandra Fili (GRE) |
4:47:00 |
| 1977 | .svg.png){kind=small} Kebede Balcha (ETH) |
2:14:40.8 | Christina Johansson (SWE) |
3:05:53 |
| 1976 | Edgar Friedli (SUI) |
2:33:50 | Melissa Hendriksen (USA) |
3:35:45 |
| 1975 | Teofanis Tsimingatos (GRE) |
2:35:39 | Corrie Konings (NED) |
3:16:13 |
| 1974 | Teofanis Tsimingatos (GRE) |
2:29:31 | Eva-Maria Westphal (GER) |
3:55:56 |
| 1973 |  Jouko Kuha (FIN) |
2:32:26 | No women's race | |
| 1972 | Yiannis Virvilis (GRE) |
2:26:26 | No women's race |
Statistics
Winners by country
|
Multiple winners
|
Attendance
| Nο. | Year | 42 km. runners | Total registrations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 28th | 2010 | ? | 20.000 |
| 29th | 2011 | 9.000 | 17.500 |
| 30th | 2012 | 9.500 | 26.000 |
| 31st | 2013 | ? | 31.000 |
| 32nd | 2014 | 13.000 | 35.000 |
| 33rd | 2015 | 16.000 | 43.000 |
Notes
- A separate race from the town of Marathon to Athens was regularly held in April between 1955 and 1997. This unrelated race, known as the Athens Marathon, frequently served as the Greek championship race but it is now discontinued.[14]
References
- General
- Athens Classic Marathon. Association of Road Racing Statisticians (2008-11-27). Retrieved on 2009-11-08.
- Specific
- ↑ Over 43,000 ran in the 33rd Authentic Athens Marathon on Sunday tovima.gr Retrieved on Monday, November 09, 2015.
- 1 2 Panagopoulos, Kostas (2009). Editorial. Athens Classic Marathon. Retrieved on 2009-11-08.
- ↑ Wenig, Jorg (2008-11-10). 2,500 years anniversary of the genesis of the marathon approaches. IAAF. Retrieved on 2009-11-08.
- ↑ Kendal's own Athen's marathon winner. Westland Moore Gazette (2004-08-24). Retrieved on 2009-11-08.
- 1 2 Nikitaridis, Michalis (2007-11-02). Athens Classic Marathon celebrates 25th anniversary – PREVIEW. IAAF. Retrieved on 2009-11-08.
- ↑ 15 marathons awarded IAAF Gold Label Road Race certification for year 2011. RunningSportsHub (2010-10-25). Retrieved on 2011-11-14.
- ↑ Butcher, Pat (2008-11-09). Athens Marathon record broken by nearly two minutes. IAAF. Retrieved on 2009-11-08.
- 1 2 Butcher, Pat (2009-11-08). Ngetich, Ozaki prevail in ‘Battle of Marathon’ – Athens Marathon report. IAAF. Retrieved on 2009-11-08.
- ↑ Nikitaridis, Michalis (2006-11-05). Tarus and Ogushi secure Athens Classic Marathon victories. IAAF. Retrieved on 2009-11-08.
- ↑ Butcher, Pat (2008-11-06). Marathon talks, in Marathon. IAAF. Retrieved on 2009-11-08.
- 1 2 Drazdauskaite and Bett beat the heat to make history in Athens. IAAF (2010-10-31). Retrieved on 2010-10-31.
- ↑ Nikitaridis, Michalis (2005-11-06). Saina and Measo are victorious in the Athens Marathon. IAAF. Retrieved on 2009-11-08.
- ↑ National Marathon Champions for Greece. Association of Road Racing Statisticians (2008-12-21). Retrieved on 2009-11-08.
- ↑ Athens Marathon. Association of Road Racing Statisticians (2008-08-18). Retrieved on 2009-11-08.
