FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Athens Marathon - Sunday
The 30th anniversary edition of the Athens Classic Marathon on Sunday will
provide a little light relief for Greeks beleaguered by another round of
austerity cuts. Reaction this week included a transport strike encompassing
metro, buses and taxis, which left Athenians emulating marathon runners, ie
getting out and legging it. They would do well to take to the streets again
on Sunday morning, and watching how the pros do it.
Leading the charge in the men's race will be 2010 winner, Raymond Bett of
Kenya, who reckons he is in much better shape than when he won two years
back.
"Preparation for me is better than two years ago. I've done a lot of
speed-work and hills, it's been good. You have to be strong in the hills
here, that's why I've prepared with lots of hills".
Bett trains in Iten (location of the famous St Patrick's School), with what
he describes as a 'strong group,' coached by Philip Singoei, twice winner
of the Eindhoven marathon, in 2006 and 2007, clocking 2:07:57 in the latter
race.
Bett is not quite at the level of his coach, having a best of 2.11.32
(Utecht 2009), and having won here in 2.12.40, then a race record; but
which was improved last year by Abdelkerim Boubker of Morocco, with
2.11.39. The course record however belongs to Olympic champion 2004,
Stefano Baldini of Italy, who ran 2.10.55.
These are relatively slow times nowadays, but thereby hangs a tale, not of
course the only one related to the original marathon course.
If the lure of this event is its history, dating back to 1896, and the
restoration of the Olympic Games, the downside is that it is one of the
toughest courses in the world. After a relatively flat first 10k from the
town of Marathon – taking in the burial ground of the soldiers killed in
the successful battle against the Persians in 490BCE, which event
backgrounds the marathon race – there is then approximately 21k (half the
race) of undulating hills, mostly up, before a gradual decline into Athens,
and the finish in the magnificent Panathenaiko, the marble stadium which
hosted the 1896 Games.
Bett remains undaunted, citing the conditioning of his tough training
group. "It's an advantage to train with very strong guys. If the weather is
good, we can break the course record. In 2010 the weather was very hot,
last year it was raining, but if conditions are good, we can break it".
Bett also had an interesting 'take' on the legend which gave rise to the
creation of the marathon, Philipides/Pheidippides, the Athenian messenger
who brought news of the victory over the Persians before dropping dead in
the agora, the ancient meeting place in central Athens.
"I like being in Athens," says Bett, "the Olympics began here and I like
that. When I'm on the start line, I think of the one who started it, but I
don't want to emulate him. You know, the guy who collapsed. He never
trained, that's perhaps why he died - me, I'm OK".
We'll see how OK Bett is at 9am on Sunday morning, for which there is a
forecast of 15C, rising to 19C (59-66F) by midday. That may prove a little
warm, but the possibility of a strong headwind could be worse.
There are several faster runners on paper; Kenyan colleagues Alex Kirui,
with 2.09.38 in Reims 2008, and Japhet Korir, 2.10.50 at Gold Coast 2011.
But Mesfin Hailu of Ethiopia, 2.09.50 in Xiamen 2011 might be the strongest
candidate for victory.
There is also the interesting prospect of a debut by the younger brother of
Abdelkader El Mouaziz, winner among others of London and New York, and 13
times a sub-2.10 marathoner. Hamid will have to go some to emulate big bro,
but he did run a 61.15 'half' in Holland last month.
Sviatlana Kouhan of Belarus has had three victories in five marathons,
winning Brighton (UK) in a personal best 2.29.37 earlier this year. But
after a 34th place at London 2012, in 2.30.26, she is hoping to better her
third place debut here in 2010.
The band of Kenyans here will have a VIP supporter urging them on. The
concurrent Association of International Marathons (AIMS) seminar in
Marathon itself also celebrates its 30th anniversary. And at their Gala
Dinner in central Athens on Friday evening, they will honour (among others)
men's world record holder, Patrick Makau, who promised at a press
conference this morning, "to come back one day, and run the original
course".
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