Have I heard someone saying "in Athens [...] the heat can play a role" when running the marathon? Yes, I am looking towards you, at 161° South South East...

Well it looks like we went on a bad year: 10°C, Beaufort 7 wind (50-60km/h - "Whole trees in motion. Effort needed to walk against the wind."), and a bit of drizzle for good measure. So was the forecast Dan, Marco, and I bleakly looked at on Saturday evening as we prepared our running equipment... Our only hope was that the wind direction looked liked it could be in our backs.

Athens Marathon finish
The calm after the storm

After a short night and after Marco had sorted his priorities right (ie. hair style before timing chip), we left to take the stream of coaches going to Marathon. And indeed when it left us nearby the Marathon's stadium, it was cold, drizzling, and very windy. I guess that's the logical consequence for a race to choose one of its main sponsors called "WIND"... So we had to wait for the start for over an hour, sheltering as we could, before getting changed at the last minute and used the plastic bags distributed by the organisation as a last protection.

Just before the start we were told that "it is never cold in Greece, because even if the weather is cold, the Greeks are warm at heart". And it was to be true. People were very supportive in the streets, despite the poor conditions. I picked up a branch of olive tree (which Athena gave the people of Athens) handed by a supporter and carried it till the finish line.

Against all common sense for whoever runs or cycles, the wind was indeed behind us during the first half of the marathon, making it easier (the only time not being short has been an advantage for me), and not too cold. After 10km of flat surface, we started 20km of gentle ascent. I was fine until half way (in 1:40:30), but things started to get a bit complicated after that. My quads got tighter and tighter, and my pace dropped. I just couldn't produce the power. Even during the final 10km of descent, I didn't manage to pick up much speed, by then focusing primarily on not getting cramps.

Athens Marathon profile
Click to enlarge

The final kilometre is pretty magical, though. First the Acropolis pointing out above the city, and then it's the entry in the Panathinaiko stadium (used for the first modern Olympic Games). Much bigger and whiter than I had imagined. I didn't bother to push for sub 3:30, and just enjoyed the moment with my olive branch in the middle of this entirely stone-built stadium. I had just run on the footsteps of the literally legendary Pheidippides... 2501 years late.

It's probably the best organised marathon I've run so far, with a lot of attention to details. In particular enough portable toilets at the start and at the end, wind/rain protection at the start and at the end, good goodie bag, audio tape with final instructions in the bus, ...

And as if the "marathon full package" was not enough, we were hosted, fed, and drove around by local friend George, catering for every need. And turning the experience into a "marathon full package delux". That is to say we ate a lot! So big thank you George!

Ultra marathon roots