Running News Daily

88-year-old runner completes his 12th consecutive Athens Marathon

On Sunday at the historic Athens Marathon, 88-year-old Ploutarchos Pourliakas became the oldest finisher at this year’s race, crossing the line in six hours and 31 minutes—a full 20 minutes faster than his 2023 finish.

Defying both age and limits, Pourliakas completed his 12th Athens Marathon as part of the event’s 41st edition. Known as “The Authentic Marathon,” this race traces what is believed to be the original path taken by Athenian messenger Pheidippides, who ran to announce the Greek victory over the Persians in the Battle of Marathon, nearly 2,500 years ago.

Pourliakas reached the finish line at the Panathenaic Stadium, the venue of the first modern Olympics in 1896, surrounded by his family and grandchildren. “I achieved to finish and even improved on last year,” he told Reuters in an interview. “I feel younger than my 88 years.”

His philosophy for longevity in running is simple: moderation and consistency. “I’ve never smoked. I don’t drink, and I eat in a balanced way,” said Pourliakas. He revealed that he does enjoy a daily sip of tsipouro, a traditional Greek brandy, saying he considers it more as a health tonic than as a drink.

According to Reuters, Pourliakas began running at age 73, inspired by his son, who is an ultramarathoner. Now, Pourliakas follows a dedicated training regimen in his hometown of Kastoria, logging five kilometres on weekdays and 15 to 20 kilometres on weekends.

Pourliakas’s story echoes that of Canadian masters running legend Ed Whitlock, who also started running later in life. In 2000, Whitlock became the oldest person to complete a sub-three-hour marathon at age 69 and later set the men’s 85+ world record, with a time of 3:56:38, at the 2016 Toronto Waterfront Marathon. Like Whitlock, Pourliakas’s commitment and discipline inspire runners of all ages to keep pushing their limits.

“Why wouldn’t you believe it? We all can do it. As long as we want to,” Pourliakas said.

 

(11/12/2024) Views: 141 ⚡AMP
by Marley Dickinson

Greeks Pitsolis and Noula win 41. Authentic Athens Marathon 2024

Charalambos Pitsolis finished first in the 41st Authentic Marathon, as he covered the 42,195 meters of the historic course in 2 hours, 18 minutes and 56 seconds.Panagiotis Karaiskos finished in second place (2:19:50) and Giorgos Benis third (2:21.40).

The first woman to finish was Stamatia Noula, who covered the distance in 2 hours, 40 minutes and 19 seconds, followed by Gloria Privilezio (2:41:58) and Panagiota Vlahaki (2:47:24).

The 41st Authentic Athens Marathon (AMA2024) kicked off on Sunday, at 09:00, with 21,000 runners expected to cover the historic route from the Marathon to the Panathenaic Stadium.

This year marks 128 years since the first marathon held during the revival of the Olympic Games.

The 41st “Athens Marathon, the Authentic” is a race inspired by the journey of the hoplite soldier who carried the message of victory to Athens after the Battle of Marathon. In the spring of 1896, in the first modern Games, athletes from five countries lined up at the Marathon bridge, at the starting point, to cross the track to the Panathenaic Stadium. The thread was first cut by the Greek athlete Spyros Louis, in a victory that went down in history symbolizing effort, overcoming physical and mental limits, as well as endurance. The presence of the experienced, also Greek runner, Harilaos Vasilakos, who finished second and together with Louis became the first two winners in the History of the Road Marathon was also important.

In its current form, it has been held since 1983, dedicated to the great Greek doctor, Balkan athlete and pacifist Grigoris Lambrakis.

(11/11/2024) Views: 127 ⚡AMP

Greek runner offers $1,500 reward for stolen marathon costume

One man's tradition of racing the Athens Marathon could be up in flames after his costume was stolen just days before Sunday's race.

For seven consecutive years, Greek marathoner Kostas Hatzis has travelled to Athens from his home in the Netherlands to take part in the Athens Marathon. On Wednesday, his plans to participate in the 41st edition of the race (set for Sunday) came to a halt when his suitcase, containing his traditional Greek costume, matching shoes and Olympic Truce flag, was stolen from his vehicle. He now offers a reward of €1,000 (CAD $1,491) for anyone who returns his belongings.

“My world collapsed,” Hatzis wrote on Facebook. “My traditional Greek costume and matching shoes were snatched from me. My Olympic Truce flag, my running outfits and all I need for one week. I did not come all the way from my home in NL to eat, drink and sleep in Athens.”Hatzis’s traditional Greek costume is the distinctive uniform of Greek soldiers called Tsoliades–right down to the fustanella (a kilt-like garment) and the tsarouchis (flat shoes with pompoms). The Olympic Truce flag bears a drove with a traditional Olympic flame, symbolizing peace and human spirit.

The runner, who calls himself an “International Marathon Messenger“, runs to promote the Ancient Greek tradition of Olympic Truce, or Ekecheiria. The tradition acknowledges the signing of a treaty between three kings to allow safe participation in the Olympic Games for individuals from the Greek city-states–Elis, Pisa and Sparta–despite ongoing conflicts.

In October, Hatzis took part in passing the marathon flame at the Kosice Peace Marathon in Košice, Slovakia, to honour the 100th edition of Europe’s oldest marathon.

Sunday’s race was set to mark Hatzis’s eighth consecutive time competing in the Athens Marathon; his fastest time for the course is 5:17:26, which he ran in 2016. The runner has participated in countless other marathons since 2012, including the Barcelona Marathon, Paris Marathon, TCS Amsterdam Marathon and the HAJ Hannover Marathon.

(11/09/2024) Views: 143 ⚡AMP
by Cameron Ormond

Kenya's Edwin Kiptoo wins 40th Athens Marathon with new course record

Edwin Kiptoo of Kenya set a new course record at the 40th Athens Marathon in 2:10:34 on Sunday, slicing three seconds off of the previous record of 2:10:37 set by fellow Kenyan Felix Kipchirchir Kandie in 2014.

"I was not well prepared for the race. I did not expect to break the record. I thank my family for giving me ample time to prepare for this marathon," said the 30-year-old who shook off his main challengers over the second half of the course and ran the last 10 kilometers alone.

Kiptoo's compatriots Rhonzai Lokitam Kilimo and Felicien Muhitira of Rwanda finished second and third in the men's event. Moroccan Soukaina Atanane finished first in the women's category in 2:31:52, followed by Kenya's Caroline Jepchirchir and local Gloria Privileggio. 

The event attracted some 70,000 runners from 140 countries and regions in the 42km course, as well as the 10km, 5km and kids' races, setting a record high of participants, according to the Hellenic Athletics Federation. The 42km classic course from Marathon city to Athens follows in the footsteps of ancient soldier Pheidippides who inspired the race.

The Athens Marathon has a relatively hilly route, which somehow makes it almost impossible for runners to set a world record here, with the course rising almost continuously between the 17th and 32nd kilometers before descending most of the rest of the way.

(11/13/2023) Views: 803 ⚡AMP

Caroline Jepchirchir headlines Athens Marathon

The reigning Iten Marathon champion, Caroline Jepchirchir will be the star to watch at the 40th edition of the Athens Classic Marathon scheduled for this Sunday (12) in Athens, Greece.

The 35 year-old comes to this race with a personal best 2:26.11 that she got last year at the Enschede Marathon where she finished in fourth place.

Jepchirchir will battle for honors with eleven time Lithuania’s National champion, Vaida Zusinaite-Nekriosiene, who comes to this race with a life time best of 2:32.50 that she got in 2016 at the Hannover Marathon.

Jepchirchir will be targeting to lower the race course record of 2:31.06 set thirteen years ago by Lithuania’s Rasa Drazdauskaitė.

 

(11/11/2023) Views: 587 ⚡AMP
by John Vaselyne

Edwin Kiptoo is targeting Athens Marathon course record

Kenya’s Edwin Kiprop Kiptoo will make his debut in Greece at the 40th edition of the Athens Classic Marathon slated for this Sunday (12) in Athens, Greece.

The 30 year-old comes to this race with a life time best of 2:06.52 that he got last year at the Haspa Marathon where he finished in seventh place. This year in March he participated at the Seoul Marathon, finishing in seventh place in a time of 2:08.56.

Kiptoo will not have an easy ride as he will have to get past his compatriot Rhonzas Lokitam Kilimo who comes to this race with the second fastest time on paper of 2:08.08 that he got this year in April at the Haspa Marathon where he crossed the finish line in fifth place.

The two Kenyans will face-off with the defending champion and the Greece National Record Holder, Charalambos Pitsolis who won last year’s edition in time of 2:23.44. The 30 year-old who comes to this race with a personal best of 2:21.23 that he got early this year in Germany.  Pitsolis will have an acid test from the Kenyans as the race organizers invited International elite athletes after three years of absence due to Covid-19 pandemic.

The organizers have assembled a strong deep elite field to try and chase the race course record of 2:10.37 that was set nine years ago by Felix Kipchirchir Kandie from Kenya.

(11/09/2023) Views: 673 ⚡AMP
by John Vaselyne

Meet the 91-Year-Old Greek Marathon Runner

Marathon runner Stelios Prassas, at 91 years old, is likely the oldest athlete that participated in the 2022 Athens Marathon.

Prassas, who prides himself in maintaining not only the physical fitness of a teenager, but also the spirit of one, was born in 1931.

The incredible athlete has won eight national awards, and tested out his skills for one more time at the Athens Marathon, that took place on November 12-13.

He is likely the oldest out of all 45,000 runners that  participated in the Marathon, which follows the same route taken by Pheidippides when he ran from Marathon to Athens during the Persian Wars.

In a historic moment that made him the most lauded runner in history, the military courier ran from the battlefield at Marathon, northeast of the Greek capital, to Athens, and then collapsed and died afterward. He was sent to deliver the urgent message that the Greeks had defeated the Persians in 490 BC.

Prassas, speaking with Marathon Greece, reflected on following that iconic route, and finishing the Marathon in front of the Panathanaic Stadium, stating:

“The most moving moment is always when I finish the Marathon. It’s an indescribable moment! I love it when I enter the stadium, above all when I enter the one in Greece, the Panathenaic Stadium.”

“It’s a temple, all athletes need to kneel there. There are no stadiums with that kind of marble in the world. In other countries, we run to skyscrapers and apartment buildings,” the 90-year-old Greek marathon runner noted.

91-year-old Greek Marathon runner Stelios Prassas loves life

Prassas has a holistic philosophy to health and fitness. In terms of his diet, he mainly eats legumes and vegetables, and very little meat.

He has always been an active person, and he has never exercised with a trainer, rather he listens to “what my body and my heart tell me. My body gives me the ability to be in the stadium and run eight to 10 km (five to six miles) every day at 90” Prassas stated in a 2021 interview.

“A person must do what he does because he loves it very much,” the athlete stressed.

“The moment I go to the stadium to work out, I feel great love that fills my heart. I feel so much happiness when I am inside the stadium,” he continued.

Prassas, who owns a store in the Athenian neighborhood of Vyronas and is the head of his family, began running as an adult after a friend asked him to come along with him for a run.

“I like what I do very much. I started running marathons at 59,” Prassas stated. His love affair with running has never burnt out.

Yet his love for his wife is even stronger. “My wife’s love is indescribable. She is a heroine of Greece.”

The athlete does not think about the end of his life, rather, he prefers to enjoy each day he is on this earth.

“I have never been afraid of death, I have never thought of it, and it has never passed through my mind.”

“I want all young people to be happy and to enjoy their lives because we are all impermanent, no one will stay here forever,” Prassas stressed.

(11/14/2022) Views: 1,299 ⚡AMP
by Anna Wichmann

Konstantinos Gkelaouzos won the 38th Authentic Athens Marathon race on Sunday in an event dominated by Greek runners

The 31-year-old runner Konstantinos Gkelaouzo, timed 2hrs 16 min 49sec, the fasted time ever recorded by a Greek on the 42km course, breaking the old mark set in 2004 by Nikos Polias in the Athens Olympics in 2:17.56.

Second was Panagiotis Mpourikas in 2:22.33 and third was Charalampos Pistolis in 2:24.05, both from Greece.

The first woman across the finish line was Greece’s Gloria-Tziovan Privilegio who was 26th overall with a time of 2:41.30.

The marathon returned after a two-year absence due to the COVID-19 pandemic with 2,555 participants from dozens of countries but without any of the top runners.

According to legend, the 42km route from Marathon to Athens was first run by Pheidippides, an Athenian messenger who in 490BC dashed to the city to announce victory over the Persians, before dying of exhaustion.

Run on a four-lane concrete avenue through the urban districts of east Athens with a finish at the all-marble Panathenaic Stadium, the site of the 1896 Olympics, the gruelling race is a challenge for runners as much of it is uphill.

(11/16/2021) Views: 1,223 ⚡AMP

Marathon runner Stelios Prassas, at 90 years old, will likely be the oldest athlete to participate in the upcoming Athens Marathon

Stelios Prassas, who prides himself in maintaining not only the physical fitness of a teenager, but also the spirit of one, was born in 1931.

The incredible athlete has won eight national awards, and plans to test out his skills at the Athens Marathon, which will take place on November 13-14.

He is likely the oldest out of all 30,000 runners that will participate in the Marathon, which follows the same route taken by Pheidippides when he ran from Marathon to Athens during the Persian Wars.

In a historic moment that made him the most lauded runner in history, the military courier ran from the battlefield at Marathon, northeast of the Greek capital, to Athens, and then collapsed and died afterward. He was sent to deliver the urgent message that the Greeks had defeated the Persians in 490 BC.

“The most moving moment is always when I finish the Marathon. It’s an indescribable moment! I love it when I enter the stadium, above all when I enter the one in Greece, the Panathenaic Stadium.”

“It’s a temple, all athletes need to kneel there. There are no stadiums with that kind of marble in the world. In other countries, we run to skyscrapers and apartment buildings,” the 90-year-old Greek marathon runner noted.

90-year-old Greek Marathon runner Stelios Prassas loves life

Prassas has a holistic philosophy to health and fitness. In terms of his diet, he mainly eats legumes and vegetables, and very little meat.

He has always been an active person, and he has never exercised with a trainer, rather he listens to “what my body and my heart tell me. My body gives me the ability to be in the stadium and run eight to 10 km (five to six miles) every day at 90.”

“A person must do what he does because he loves it very much,” the athlete stressed.

“The moment I go to the stadium to work out, I feel great love that fills my heart. I feel so much happiness when I am inside the stadium,” he continued.

Prassas, who owns a store in the Athenian neighborhood of Vyronas and is the head of his family, began running as an adult after a friend asked him to come along with him for a run.

“I like what I do very much. I started running marathons at 59,” Prassas stated. His love affair with running has never burnt out.

Yet his love for his wife is even stronger. “My wife’s love is indescribable. She is a heroine of Greece.”

The athlete does not think about the end of his life, rather, he prefers to enjoy each day he is on this earth.

“I have never been afraid of death, I have never thought of it, and it has never passed through my mind.”

“I want all young people to be happy and to enjoy their lives because we are all impermanent, no one will stay here forever,” Prassas stressed.

(11/09/2021) Views: 1,514 ⚡AMP
by Anna Wichmann

2021 Athens Authentic Marathon to be held November 13-14

The 38th Athens Authentic Marathon will be held on the weekend of November 13-14, and a press conference on the annual run will be held on Wednesday, November 10, organizers said.

A new feature this year is that each race will consist of two groups that start at different times, in observance of health protocols due to the coronavirus pandemic. A total of 30,000 runners have registered so far, including 10,000 in the main race.

Deputy Sports Minister Lefteris Avgenakis will run the 5km race that starts from the Bodossakis Mansion on Amalias Avenue, at Syntagma Square, at 8 a.m. on Sunday. 

The press conference will be held at 1.30 p.m. at the covered Taekwondo Stadium. Half an hour earlier, the Marathon Expo 2021 fair will be inaugurated and will be open until November 13 (10 a.m. to 8 p.m.).

(11/05/2021) Views: 1,292 ⚡AMP

2020 Athens Authentic Marathon has been cancelled due to covid-19

The 2020 ‘Athens Marathon. The Authentic’ that was scheduled to take place on November 7-9, has been cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

“Making the most of any minute of the last three months, the Top Management and Executives of our Federation made any possible effort during their discussions and cooperation with the relevant Greek Health Authorities, in order to make sure that every possibility for this annual Historic Race to go along, was studied. Even by following a very strict manual of rules and regulations, staging only the Marathon Race and not the shorter races, reducing the number of participants and having all participants to go through a COVID-19 test before the Race, at the expenses of our Federation, was not enough. It seems that even such measures would not secure the absolute safety of runners’ health, which is and will be the top priority in our minds. Taking under consideration all the above, we are extremely sorry to announce today that the 2020 Athens Marathon will not be held,” the announcement said.

Within the next days, the Athens Marathon Organizing Committee will contact each one of the registered runners via personalized email, informing him/her about the options they have, either deferring their registration into next year’s event (2021 Athens Marathon) or receiving full refund of the entry fee already paid.

“We are very optimistic that after this pandemic is over we will all run together in our races in 2021, a very important year for Greece since it coincides with the anniversary of the 200 years after the Greek revolution.”

They also announced the launch of a new, Special Edition Virtual Race. More details will be released within the next few days.

The Special Edition Virtual Race is going to be a race for all, full of surprises, that will allow participants to test themselves either running alone on the route of their choice, or being joined by a small number of friends and/or family members.

“We sincerely thank all parties that contributed so far to an excellent preparation for the event, and especially OPAP S.A., the Athens Marathon Grand Sponsor, as well as the Attica Region, the Cities of Athens and Marathon, the Hellenic Olympic Committee, the rest of our Sponsors and Supporters. But most of all, we thank and applaud the protagonists of the Athens Marathon; the staff members, the thousands of volunteers and participants that all these years have shown such love and confidence to the Athens Marathon, turning it into a unique race of international status,” the statement concluded.

 

(10/02/2020) Views: 1,414 ⚡AMP

Athens Marathon cleared to proceed as mass participation event in November

The Athens Marathon - and the postponed Athens Half Marathon - have been cleared to take place later this year, with social distancing restrictions.

The Marathon is set to be run on November 8, with the Half Marathon - postponed last March - currently scheduled for some 50 days earlier, on September 20.

Greece has so far succeeded in holding COVID-19 relatively well at bay, and authorities have approved a health protocol putting a ceiling of 5,000 participants on individual road races.

For this reason, the 2020 Marathon will be split into two individual races of 5,000 runners each, with the second race starting an hour after the first.

Allowing for four shorter races taking place over the November 7/8 weekend, organisers expect to cater for a maximum 30,000 competitors over the two days.

There will be no invited foreign elite athletes; however, while the race will be smaller than usual - the 2019 race produced 17,000 finishers - non-Greek-based recreational runners can register, though they will be expected to abide by relevant travel restrictions that may be in force at the time of the event.

There will be no Marathon awards gala attached to this year’s race, but a symposium for race directors from around the world is still planned.

The pandemic has had a devastating impact on the 2020 road-running season, with half the races in the World Marathon Majors series – Boston, New York City and Berlin - cancelled and the Tokyo event in March significantly scaled back.

The London Marathon is still currently scheduled for October 4, although serious doubts remain over whether it will take place.

According to Makis Asimakopoulos, general manager of the Athens Marathon: "As far as the 2020 Athens Marathon - the authentic event is concerned, let me inform you that we are planning to hold it on 7-8 November, as originally scheduled.

"We have decided to do so, taking advantage of the very good job the Greek Government and people have done so far in dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic crisis."

Asimakopoulos told insidethegames that race organisers intended to "play our role, as the birthplace of the marathon, in restarting the cycle of mass participation marathon events internationally".

The Athens Marathon, first run as a sports event at the inaugural modern Olympic Games in 1896, retraces, as closely as feasible, the steps of Pheidippides, who is believed to have brought Athenians news of their against-the-odds victory over the Persians at the Battle of Marathon in 490 BC.

(07/12/2020) Views: 1,460 ⚡AMP

The 2020 Athens Marathon will be held as normal on November 8

The Greek Athletics Federation SEGAS announced on July 1 that, based on current data, “Athens Marathon. The Authentic” 2020 will be held as normal on November 7-8 2020 with its co-organisers the Attica Region, the Municipality of Athens, the Municipality of Marathon and the EOE and a major sponsor, OPAP SA.

Athens Marathon 2020 will include the following competitions:

Marathon: Participants in the Marathon will be divided into two different (A & B) races with 5000 participants each and an hour difference between their start times. The distribution of the runners in the two races and in the corresponding starting block will be decided by the Organising Committee. It is noted that the Marathon Road will be held on Sunday, November 8, while the exact start times will be announced in the near future.

10km road race: On Saturday November 7, 10km participants will also be divided into two different (A & B) races with 5000 participants each and an hour difference between their starts.

5km road race, ZERO WASTE FUTURE: The same logic applies as for the 5km on Sunday November 8: two 5km (A & B) Races with 5000 participants each and a difference of at least one hour between their starts.

Note that Athens 2020 Marathon will not include the Children’s races (neither on the route nor at the Panathinaiko Stadium) or the Special Olympics Hellas Race. This is for better implementation of the protocol.

Registration limits for all the races have been revised and because they are now split into two separate groups the official t-shirt of the race will be an integral part of the registration for each participant.

Registrations for the Athens 2020 Marathon will start on Friday, July 3, 2020 at 12.00, exclusively through the event website. SEGAS has drawn up a special Cancellation Policy for this year’s event which encourages runners to consult before proceeding with their registration.

President of SEGAS, Kostas Panagopoulos commented: “The successful response to the COVID-19 pandemic in Greece, as a result of the timely adoption of correct measures and their consistent observance by the majority of Greeks, but also the approval by the State Health Protocol for Out-of-Stage Games of SEGAS, allows us to open registration for the Athens Marathon 2020.

“The Race will be very different this year since the observance of the Health Protocol, imposes fewer runners, more starts, distance keeping, meticulous protection measures in each process and for each step. The special planning of the Games has been completed and with the help of all – and especially the runners – the observance of the measures will ensure the desired result.

“In Greece, where it was born, the Marathon will be re-launched in 2020 after the pandemic.”

(07/03/2020) Views: 1,474 ⚡AMP

An ancient Greek cup, believed to be approximately 2,500 years old, that was awarded to the winner of 1896′s first modern Olympiad marathon has been returned to Athens

A millennial-old Greek artifact is finally back home. The ancient chalice had been presented to Spyros Louis, the Greek-born marathon winner, in the late 19th century.

On Wednesday, Greece’s Culture Ministry explained that the 6th century B.C. vessel was considered lost for decades until it was rediscovered in 2014, as part of the University of Muenster’s collection.

After the ornate black-and-brown cup, which depicts two runners, was brought to the attention of the university, it agreed to return the vessel, which had been part of a private German collection bought in 1986, reported The Associated Press.

A statement from the agency stated that the double-handed cup proved “beyond any doubt” that it was the same one given to Louis 123 years ago.

The vessel was showed off at a Wednesday ceremony at the National Archaeological Museum in Athens, where it will be exhibited for three months before being permanently displayed at a museum in Olympia, the site of the ancient games.

Louis, a water carrier with no formal athletic training, became a national legend after his unexpected victory in the marathon — viewed as the most Greek of Olympic disciples — in Athens.

For his win, in which the 23-year-old runner bested 16 competitors, Louis also received a silver cup and silver medal.

(11/14/2019) Views: 1,638 ⚡AMP
by Storm Gifford

Veteran Kenyan Komen wins Athens Marathon

Kenyan John Kipkorir Komen was the big winner of the 37th Athens Authentic Marathon on Sunday.

Komen, 42, crossed the finish line at the Panathenaic Stadium in the center of Athens in 2:16:34.

He did not manage to break the race's record at the 42km original course from Marathon city to Athens on a rainy day, but was cheered by thousands of spectators at the stadium which hosted the first modern Olympics in 1896, as well as along the route.

Kenya's Felix Kipchirchir Kandie holds the best time in the Authentic course since 2014, when he clocked 2:10:37.

Rwandan Felicien Muhitira, 25, ranked second, clocking 2:16:43, and Greek Konstantinos Gkelaouzos was third in 2:19:02.

A record 60,000 people from more than 120 countries and regions took part in the 42km course as well as the shorter 10km, 5km races and other parallel events, the organizing committee of the Hellenic Athletics Federation (SEGAS) said.

Among them were infants in strollers, entire families and white-haired amateur runners. The message of the Athens Marathon is that all participants are winners.

The race originates from the feat of Pheidippides who ran from the Marathon battlefield to Athens in 490 BC to announce Greeks' victory over the Persian forces and died from exhaustion.

This year all runners in the Marathon and shorter distances were presented with a new medal depicting the Marathon battle. The medal was designed by one of the greatest contemporary Greek artists, Alekos Fasianos. Enditem

 

(11/10/2019) Views: 1,770 ⚡AMP

Kenyan Daniel Muteti will be back in action in Greece as he seeks his first win in 2019 at the Athens Marathon on Sunday

Muteti who clocked 2:09:25 in Cape Town is eyeing fast time in the old Greek city but will have to contend with compatriot Rhonzas Kilimo in the quest to break the Athens course record of 2:10:37 set by Felix Kandie back in 2014.

A record 20,000 runners will line up on a course that is almost identical to the one used for the 1896 Olympic marathon.

"The fact that I am running here in Athens where the marathon began is special motivation for me," said Daniel Muteti on Friday.

"I have enough motivation to go for a fast time and I believe the weather will be good for me so that I may attain my goal. I know it is a short time to run two marathons in the span of two months, but I believe I have the strength to withstand the pressure," Muteti said.

Kilimo will be making debut at the distance after a running a half marathon in a personal best time of 60:49 minutes last year.

"I always wanted to run the full distance and have been delaying it. But I believe Athens will be the perfect stage for me to make another mark in my career and win a first marathon," said Kilimo.

Also in the field are John Komen, now 42 and who ran his best of 2:07:13 in 2011, Dominic Kangor (2:09:36), Chalu Gelmisa (2:12:38) and Felicien Muhitira (2:10:58).

Organizers admit they have concentrated more on the men's field this year than the women's, so Eleftheria Petroulak (2:44:01) and Sonia Tsekini (2:45:02) are the favorites. There will be no women representation from Kenya.

(11/09/2019) Views: 1,781 ⚡AMP
by Wang Yamei

Kenyan Elite athletes field determined to set new record in Athens Marathon this Sunday

In the final stretch to the 37th Athens Marathon this Sunday, elite athletes appeared determined to do their best to break the race's record.

Approximately 60,000 runners from 120 countries and regions will participate in the 42km classic route from Marathon to Athens on Sunday and parallel shorter distances which are held also on Saturday.

Several Kenyan athletes, like Daniel Muindi Muteti, 25 years old, are considered frontrunners. Earlier this year in Cape Town he clocked 2:09:25.

"We are generally happy for being hosted here. I am ready to cause a record. Thank you," he said on Wednesday.

His compatriot, Rhonzas Lokitam Kilimo, 23, chose Athens for his debut in the marathon race. His personal record in the half-marathon is 60:49.

"I know of course the race should be very competitive and I am very prepared to run for coming Sunday and look forward to the record," he told media.

Kenyan runner Kandie Felix holds the best time in the authentic course since 2014, when he clocked 2:10:37.

Regardless of records and distances, the crowd inside Panathenaic Stadium, the marble venue of the 1896 first modern Olympic Games, will cheer for all runners who will cross the finish line, the Hellenic Athletics Federation (SEGAS), which organizes the event, stressed.

The Marathon race, in particular at the birthplace of the event, is not about competing with others, but trying to stretch your own limits and move forward, it is about sportsmanship and friendship, Greek athletes stressed.

"My goal is a good performance, a good time. I will go after the first place, but I'm very glad that the running movement is progressing and increasing," said Gloria Privileggio, a long-distance runner who competed in marathon at the 2019 World Athletics Championships in Doha this September, finishing 29th. She will participate in the 10km race this Saturday.

Panagiotis Karaiskos finished 3rd among Greek athletes last year in Athens. He will participate in the Athens Marathon for the 7th consecutive year.

"This is a race which I remember even before starting running I would go to the Panathenaic stadium and I would shed tears seeing other runners crossing the finish line," he said.

The Marathon race was inspired by the legend of the ancient soldier Pheidippides who first ran the 42km classic route from the Marathon battlefield to Athens in 490 BC to announce to his fellow citizens the Athenians' victory against the Persians.

According to the legend, the messenger managed to say "we won" before dying of exhaustion.

(11/07/2019) Views: 1,795 ⚡AMP

Defending champion Brimin Misoi from Kenya leads elite field in Athens

Brimin Misoi, the Kenyan who made headlines with an emphatic victory last year, will take pride of place on the start line for the 37th edition of the “Athens Marathon. The Authentic” on Sunday, November 10.

In 2018 Misoi ran the third fastest time ever of 2:10:56 on the renowned, tough course from the coastal town of Marathon to the heart of Athens. He crossed the finish line in the Panathenaic Stadium, venue for the 1896 Olympic Games, almost two minutes clear of his nearest rival.

Retaining the title will prove no easy task despite the Kenyan improving his personal best to 2:09:31 in the Vienna City Marathon in April where he was sixth. His rivals will include compatriot Daniel Muteti, whose best of 2:09:25 in finishing second in the Cape Town Marathon was achieved in mid-September.

Adding historic lustre will be the 2004 Olympic champion Stefano Baldini. On his return to the original marathon course the Italian will be running as a “tourist” rather than elite competitor but his Olympic winning time of 2:10:55 was just one second faster than Brimin Misoi’s last year, further proof of the Kenyan’s quality.

The “Athens Marathon. The Authentic” has already broken records in the race build-up with participation limits in the marathon and parallel events now fully booked. A record total of more than 20,000 will run the marathon, a further 12,000 take part in the 10km road race and another 20,000 run the 5km Road Race ZERO WASTE FUTURE (by Coca-Cola), while total numbers of runners in all events has exceeded 60,000, another record. This festival of running is organized as in previous years by the Hellenic Athletics Federation (SEGAS). For the first time the 10km road race will be held on Saturday evening in central Athens, rather than all the running events taking place on Sunday, another indication of the tremendous growth of interest in the past few years, including a steep rise in the international entry among mass runners. This year 12,000 runners from more than 120 countries will be represented among the 60,000 involved in total, making the Athens Marathon one of the most international races in the world.

One more record of the event is the attendance of the races at the 13th AIMS Marathon Symposium and the 7th Best Marathon Runners Awards Gala: Race directors and representatives of 80 international marathons from 45 countries will be present.

As for the race for top honors, Brimin Misoi has not raced since the Vienna City Marathon in April where he brought his personal best down to 2:09:31. A rival and fellow Kenyan who knows what it means to run at that level is Daniel Muteti, making his debut on the Athens course. As recently as September 15 he ran his best of 2:09:25 to finish second in Cape Town. He has had a busy year in marathon terms in general, having begun with 2:10:55 for fourth in Mumbai on January 20. Athens and its challenging, rolling hills then descent for the last 10km may test his powers of recovery. Rhonzas Kilimo of Kenya dropped out of his debut marathon in Hamburg in late April but the former steeplechaser finished second in the Berlin Half Marathon with 61:01, an indication of marathon promise, at least. Also known as Rhonzaz Lokitam he clocked a half marathon PB of 60:49 a year ago in Valencia. These runners and others have the potential to put Felix Kandie’s 2014 course record of 2:10:37under pressure.

One outcome already certain is that every marathon finisher in the Panathenaic Stadium will receive their own piece of history in the form of the inaugural medal depicting the history of the race. To be awarded over the next eight years, this debut finisher’s medal, aptly enough, portrays the Battle of Marathon where the legend of the lone Athenian soldier-messenger began.

(10/31/2019) Views: 1,930 ⚡AMP

2019 Athens Marathon looks forward to record numbers of runners from around the world

Organizers of the 37th edition of “Athens Marathon. The Authentic” expect this year for the first time to welcome 20,000 marathon runners from around the world to run on the original course from Marathon to Athens.

Almost 125 years since the first Olympic Marathon at the start of the modern Olympic era in Athens in 1896, race organizers SEGAS, the Hellenic Athletics Federation, are anticipating a new record participation.

Adding running events at shorter distances a total of more than 60,000 athletes will run through the Attica region and Athens. This record total puts the Authentic Marathon among the biggest running events anywhere in the world.

The marathon race begins in its historic setting of the town of Marathon. The marathon course of 42.195k, officially measured by the IAAF and AIMS, is practically identical with that of the 1896 Olympic Marathon and corresponds exactly to the course for the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens.

Ten years ago there were 10,000 athletes running through Athens in races of various distances, but in November this year there will be more than five times as many.

An innovation this year is that the 10k road race, which hitherto has been staged in parallel with the marathon, will now be run in the early evening on the previous day in central Athens.

The Marathon Expo where start numbers will be distributed will open on Wednesday, extending the duration of the “Athens Marathon. The Authentic“ to a five instead of four-day programme.

Together with the Association of International Marathons and Distance Races (AIMS), the Hellenic Athletics Federation (SEGAS), will once again stage a gala on Friday evening before the Marathon and an international Marathon Symposium on Saturday morning. During the course of the Gala the male and female winners of the annual AIMS Best Marathon Runner Award will be announced.

Every marathon runner who crosses the finish line in the Panathenaic Stadium on November 10 will receive the first medal of a new series. The concept for the medals covers a period of eight years and will reflect the history of the marathon race. This year’s medal will show the Battle of Marathon.

(09/26/2019) Views: 2,160 ⚡AMP

Brimin Kipkorir of Kenya won the 36th Athens Marathon

Brimin Kipkorir of Kenya won the 36th Athens Marathon in the third-fastest time ever, beating Ethiopia's Tesfa Wokneth by almost two minutes Sunday. Kipkorir broke away from the leading group after 25 kilometers to win the hilly course in 2 hours, 10 minutes, 56 seconds, 19 seconds off the course record set by compatriot Felix Kandie in 2014. Wokneth was second in 2:12:52. Ethiopian Asmeraw Mengistu was third in 2:13:20. Two other Kenyans rounded out the top five. Shelmith Muriuki of Kenya won the women's race -- and was 17th overall -- in a personal best of 2:36:46, beating fellow Kenya runner Rebby Koech (2:38:54) and Greece's Eleftheria Petroulaki (2:46:09). A record 18,750 runners started the race Sunday morning. (11/12/2018) Views: 1,897 ⚡AMP

Kenya's Brimin Kipkorir will compete at the more lucrative Athens Marathon instead of Nairobi

Kenya's champion Brimin Kipkorir has withdrawn from Sunday's Nairobi International Marathon and will instead compete at the more lucrative Athens Marathon on November 11. Kipkorir, who clocked a time of 2:12.39 in winning last year's event, said he has been forced to choose between the two races and believes he has more to prove in Greece. "I have great respect for the Nairobi Marathon; it opened the way for me. Now that I have another chance to run in Athens, it is better I take the chance. There are many Kenyans who can run in Nairobi and even beat my time," he said in Eldoret on Monday. However, Kipkorir disclosed that he has been battling an ankle injury, which he picked up in training back in April. But he believes it has gone past its worst stage and will be ready to show the world that he is among the contenders for the title. "I had an ankle injury, but it has healed and I am targeting a podium finish in Athens. I have battled with the ankle injury since April, but am now at my normal fitness and back in training," he said. (10/24/2018) Views: 1,771 ⚡AMP