Athens Marathon: Part 1

After I ran the Vienna City Marathon in 2006, I swore I’d never run another marathon. I love running, but marathons are long and painful. And I couldn’t walk normally for almost a week.

Fast forward to spring 2011. If I’m going to run another marathon, it might as well be the original course where the actual first marathon took place, right? Inspired, I began training for November 13th. The following marathon of blog posts will walk you through my day.

5:00: I’m awake. I shower then put on the clothes I carefully laid out the night before. I strap on my fannypack filled with powerbars and gels, pulling it tight. I’m nervous, but ready.

5:45: I kiss my wife and head out. Before I leave the hotel, I grab a couple of pieces of bread and a not-quite-ripe banana to munch on. Turns out Melba toast is very popular in Athens.

6:00: I arrive at the parliament building where other runners are being herded into shuttle buses. This is how we get to Marathon.

6:15: I find a seat next to a window and wonder why I didn’t bring something to read for the 45 minute drive. It is at this point I realize my iPod is still at the hotel. Crap! People are too loud for this early in the morning. I say a silent prayer of thanks when the man who sits next to me doesn’t speak to me. I stare out the window and think about the race.

7:00: We arrive at the stadium in Marathon. Upon exiting the bus I notice the wind has picked up and it’s started to drizzle. It is about 10 C (50 F). I’m cold, wet, and I’ve got 2 hours to kill. I spend this time staying hydrated and trying to stay warm. At one point I lock myself in a port-a-potty to get out of the rain.

8:15: I put my sweatshirt and pants in a bag and throw it in the back of a truck. I have to wrap the cord around the bag a few times and tie it because it has started to rip along the seam. The loss of my outer clothing does not make me feel any colder. Or so I think. I decide to jog a couple of laps around the track to warm up. That’s better.

8:45: I finish another couple of laps around the track, use the bathroom one last time, and make my way up to the starting blocks. The race announcer is very lively. He keeps telling us gleefully, “It is never cold in Greece!” but my shivering frame disagrees. This phrase you keep saying. I do not think it means what you think it means.

8:50: The race announcer informs us that the gusting winds are blowing over barricades in some sections of the course. He encourages us to watch out for each other. “This is a race of joy!” he says. He then reminds us again that it is never cold in Greece.

9:00: The starting gun fires and the first and fastest runners are off! Starting block 5 begins 10 minutes later. I hear the high-pitched beep of my timing chip across the starting line. I take my first strides towards Athens.

Stay tuned for Part 2.