FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Marathon Flame, Laurel Wreaths Coming From Greece To Crown
2,500th Anniversary Celebrations of the Marathon
at Scotiabank TORONTO Waterfront Marathon weekend, Sept. 24th–26th
•2,500th Anniversary of the Birth of the Marathon to be celebrated in
Canada, September 24th–26th weekend.
•Pheidippides and the Battle of Marathon, 490 BC. Who ran? Who won? Who
died? And what it means for every runner at STWM2010.
•Flame to ignite "'marathon spirit and ideals"' in T.O. - of world peace,
fair competition, and sport as a way of life.
•Mayor Miller to run final leg of Marathon Flame Relay from City Hall to
Exhibition Place, Friday morning, September 24th; proclaims "'Marathon Week
in Toronto"'.
•Six Special Laurel Wreaths made from olive branches from the trees at the
Battlefield of Marathon, Greece, to be presented to STWM2010 Champions by
the Mayor of Marathon.
•Be a part of it! Run, Pledge, Cheer, Volunteer. The Weekend Schedule.
The Marathon Flame and 6 Laurel Wreaths made of olive branches from trees
at the Battlefield of Marathon site will be coming from Greece to mark the
2,500th Anniversary of the first marathon run by Pheidippides in 490 BC, to
be staged at the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon weekend, September
24th-26th. The flame and wreaths will highlight the Canadian segment of
global celebrations that began in Mumbai in January, and will conclude in
Athens on October 31st. Along the way, it has passed through other
world-cities and their marathons such as Vienna and Prague. This will be
the only stop in Canada for the Flame.
The Flame and victory laurels will be the key elements of a weekend of
festivities that includes a Torch Relay run from Nathan Phillips Square to
the Princes' Gates at Exhibition Place with Mayor Miller confirmed to carry
the torch over the final 500 metres; the Flame Lighting Ceremony on Friday
morning the 24th in front of the Direct Energy Building, where the 2-day
Waterfront Marathon Expo will take place; athlete and raconteur Roger
Robinson (who will also be a keynote speaker in Athens) will speak at the
Expo on Friday and Saturday and at the pre-race Pasta Dinner at the
Marriott Eaton Centre on Saturday evening on "'The 2,500th Anniversary of
Marathon: Who ran? Who won? Who died? And what it means for every runner at
this Sunday's Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon"'; there will also be
Greek music and dancing on the stage at the Expo on Friday, following the
Lighting Ceremony; the Flame will burn at the Expo until Saturday night
when it will be moved to Nathan Phillips Square for the actual Scotiabank
Toronto Waterfront Marathon footrace on Sunday morning; the Laurel Wreaths
will be presented to the race Champions at the Awards Ceremony at 12 noon;
and a final Flame Extinguishing Ceremony will take place on Sunday at 2pm.
The Greek communities of Toronto, Mississauga and Markham and the Hellenic
Hope Centre will also be hosting "'Greek Town"', a major Cheering &
Entertainment site at Broadview and Eastern Avenue, the 39km point on the
Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon course during the race, from 9am to
2pm on the 26th with more music, dancing, clowns and children's games in
support of 4 community charities.
All events throughout the weekend are free and open to the public. The
Celebrations in Canada of the 2,500th Anniversary of the Marathon are being
held under the joint auspices of the offices of Mayor David Miller - who
will himself be running the Half-marathon on the Sunday morning - Consul
General of Greece in Toronto, Dimitris Azemopoulos, and Hon. Peter Fonseca,
Ontario Minister of Labour and the only Olympic Marathoner [Atlanta 1996]
to hold public office in Canada.
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