Anyway, running this authentic route from the first Olympic Games in 1896 was something special. I like to have purpose in things I do and I when a close friend suggested doing this it wasn’t hard to find a purpose for it. Another friend who had done it earlier said immediately that Athens is legendary but not a potential PB course. Rather the opposite. Looking at the course profile, it became quite clear that it wasn’t a PB course (see the picture below). That affected my motivation somewhat and I kept finding various reasons to skip my marathon workouts. I knew I would have the base to run it through anyway, so I happily changed my pace runs to O-intervals and my long runs to half long trail runs. I did 95% of my training off road which may not be optimal preparation for a road marathon. And instead of doing 5-6 long runs (which I consider the minimum amount), I settled for 3. When we came to Athens I slightly regretted for skipping all marathon training but hoped for the best that my legs would carry me injury-free the whole way.
We were slightly worried how the transport to Marathon would work but it worked just fine. Out of those three marathons that I’ve run, this was probably the best organised event. There was a lot less hassle to get to the start block than in Valencia or Florence and the road at the start was so wide that I got no signs of claustrophobia this time.
It was a struggle but I was able to hold a decent pace up to 20km. However, around there my survival instinct took over and I had to slow down. I passed the half way mark in 1:31:58. Still pretty good, not much off the schedule. But soon after that I had a mental breakdown. I was boiling and for a moment I wished it had rained. Forecast had been heavy rain but it was clear blue skies and full sunshine. Temperature was at +26C and there were no shadows whatsoever. Kilometres between 23 and 25 were awfully long and the climb just seemed to go on forever. I had been running most of the race behind a guy with an ancient flag. Like Pheidippides 2500 years ago. I thought he was the messenger and that I had to keep him in sight. Got to get the message to Athens.
Finally I reached 25k in 1:50:53. Another milestone achieved. I took my second gel and bit the bullet. Only 6km left to the summit now. You can do it. I did but my pace dropped dramatically on the last bit up. 30k in 2:15:16. Almost done now. I was incredibly happy to finally reach the hilltop at 31k but realised that my legs were too tired and empty to a rhythm change. So I end up jogging down the hill about the same pace I had climbed it up. Pathetic but what else I could expect with the training I had (not) done? I knew I would be suffering on the last 10km, so it shouldn’t have surprised me. Still I had hoped that gravitation would be on my side. Unfortunately it was just making fun of me. I lost quite a lot of time and a few places on the way down but still I couldn't help but smile when I arrived to the iconic Panathinaikon stadium filled with cheering crowds and crossed the finish line. Very emotional. 20th place and a sub 3:15 time on this course. More than I deserved.
 |
| Pre-race view of the finish at the Panathinaikon Stadium |
 |
| Proud finishers and the Parthenon |
 |
| It's ok to feel dizzy in front of Greek goddesses |
 |
| Mesmerizing views from the Acropolis |
