Marathon, Coast of Attica, 490 BC. The troops of the Achaemenid Empire, commanded by King Dārayawuš I are at the coast, ready to conquer the nearest Polis, Athens, in retaliation for its participation in the Ionian Revolt, helping the cities of Ionia in their attempt to overthrow Persian rule.
Before that moment, years of battles. The Athenians and Eretrians were forced to retreat with heavy losses after capturing and burning Sardis, but their retreat was mostly motivated due to the Persian victory at the Battle of Lade back in 494 BC. Some years later, Dārayawuš I decided to send a naval task force (commanded by Datis and Artafernes and estimated to be of almost 30,000 soldiers and 600 triremes) to punish both, Athens, and Eretria finally. The Persians succeed with Eretria, sailing then to the Coast of Attica, and landing in the bay near a small town, Marathon.
Commanded by Miltiades and Themistocles among others, the Athenians (and a very small force from Platea) counting barely 10,000 men in total, block the two exits from the beach, surrounded by marshes and mountainous terrain. This prevented the Persian cavalry from joining the fight. Miltiades orders the attack against the Persian forces, reinforcing his flanks and forcing the Persian soldiers into his center, where they are defeated by their opponents. The Persian forces retreat, meaning an unexpected and heroic victory for the Athenians. To communicate their victory, the Athenians sent their best runner, Philippides, to run to Athens and proclaim their victory. Philippides completes his task by wearing his armor and running under the shining sun. However, as he was also sent to Sparta for help, he was too tired. According to the legend, before dropping dead from exhaustion, he manages to pronounce only one word: “Νενικήκαμεν!”
After this historical/mythological prologue, the question is very simple and has only one possible answer in my humble opinion: “Who wants to run the authentic Marathon?”
ING Night Marathon Luxembourg, 2023
Leaving history and mythology aside (which for me is a very hard task since I love both), the marathon that I will be running within some days means absolutely everything. I have been very lucky to run in many amazing places in my “marathon debut season”. Roma, Kraków, Luxembourg and Berlin. But the Athens Marathon is probably my ultimate challenge this year. After running almost 1,500km from December 2022 until now, having suffered injuries, having trained in Barcelona’s summer –which goes from early June until late September with at least 70% humidity and over 30 degrees Celsius–, my legs are destroyed and begging for holidays. But not my head nor my motivation, both shake me and force me to keep pushing. My mind nearly collapses every time I think about arriving at the Kallimarmaro and feeling that glory on Sunday 12th.
ING Night Marathon Luxembourg, 2023
From what I have read and heard from some “veterans” who have already done this iconic race (there is always someone who knows more than you, my advice is to stay humble and listen), the route is very challenging, with many hills and the most difficult and famous part which goes from km 20 until km 32, turning the Athens Marathon a tough race if your goal is to maintain a steady pace. My previous marathons, except for Luxembourg, have been fairly flat with low gradients. Therefore, and also taking into account my injuries from this year, for this marathon I have been training thoroughly my hamstrings, glutes, back, and core. Mostly strength and endurance sessions, to reduce as much as possible the challenge. It is maybe the race for which I have done more specific workouts and fewer runs than for the other ones, including swimming sessions, as the hills represent an additional difficulty for me after a long year of running.
I was lucky enough to do my Personal Best in Berlin back in September (improving my previous PB by almost 7 minutes), meaning that my first amateur running season has been a huge personal victory for me and that I have improved. However, what matters the most for me in this upcoming race is to enjoy, feel, observe, and experience everything, from the sculpture of the Philippides, the Soros, the city of Athens, the joy and cheering of the people, the route and the history and myths which surround this magical and important race. In the end, as my host in Athens wrote me a couple of days ago “The first 32 are the difficult ones, the rest will be a piece of cake”. This also reminds me of what a good friend (and RunAgain colleague) told me before starting in Rome in our first marathon: “The first 30 are just a warmup, focus on the last 12”. There must be something in that.
Berlin Marathon, 2023
And, as I always say, to anyone reading this post and hesitating “Should I?” I strongly recommend running or any other sport. Just bring it on and do not forget to enjoy every single experience. It is not relevant nor important “how fast” or “how far” you run, the important thing is to do something that makes you feel good and helps you stay healthy.
PS- Speaking about that last part, do not try to look for me when I have finished the marathon. I will officially begin my running holidays, and will be probably enjoying Greek gastronomy!
- Jakub