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From Athens to Sparta and back to Marathon - 520 kilometres - Greek women’s marathon record holder Maria Polyzou - The battle’s 2,500th year anniversary

But the original legend whose first report was 600 years after the battle, was that the messenger first went to Sparta to ask for help but was rebuffed due to the fact that the Spartans were in the middle of a religious festival. He then ran back to Marathon before going to Athens to announce the Greek victory following the successful efforts of 10,000 Athenian soldiers and 1,000 Plataeans who repelled King Darius’ invading army of Persia. Polyzou was well prepared to spread the marathon spirit. At 42 she has been running marathons for 23 years. She is also the director of The Museum of Marathon and Vice President of Greece’s athletic federation SEGAS.

Maria Polyzou was well prepared to spread the marathon spirit. At 42 she has been running marathons for 23 years. ©SEGAS/AIMS

After two and a half millennia following The Battle of Marathon - an event widely acknowledged to have ensured the democratic legacy of Western culture - a Greek distance runner has replicated the feat of the legendary messenger Pheidippides.

Greek women’s marathon record holder Maria Polyzou had announced her intention to run the 520 kilometres from Athens to Sparta and back to Marathon virtually nonstop within six days, to mark the battle’s 2,500th year anniversary. As a result she set off from the Acropolis on 26 July and reached Sparta on 29 July before running back to The Tomb of Marathon.

This required her to run the equivalent of a double marathon every day for a week, with minimal rest. “This is a special year for the sport and I want to be a part of our history" said Polyzou. "To put it simply, the marathon is part of my soul. You can’t undertake something like this if you do not believe in the whole idea of the marathon.”

The marathon celebrates the run of soldier Pheidippides from the battlefield near Marathon to Athens in 490 BC. Pheidippides was carrying the news of a Greek victory over the Persians and is said to have collapsed and died at the completion of his efforts.

He then ran back to Marathon before going to Athens to announce the Greek victory following the successful efforts of 10,000 Athenian soldiers and 1,000 Plataeans who repelled King Darius’ invading army of Persia.

Polyzou was well prepared to spread the marathon spirit. At 42 she has been running marathons for 23 years. She is also the director of The Museum of Marathon and Vice President of Greece’s athletic federation SEGAS.

Having fulfilled her goal, she will be welcomed by General Secretary of the Ministry for Culture Panos Bitsakses.

Day 1

Greek Marathon record holder Maria Polyzou set off on 26 July in an attempt to cover the 541km distance from Athens to Sparta, emulating the feat of the ancient Athenian messenger Pheidippides immediately before the Battle of Marathon in 490 BC.

An earlier repeat of this performance was staged in 1992 by Panayiotis Skoulis, who was due to accompany 42-year old Polyzou but, now a septuagenarian, he has pulled out. Polyzou intends to complete the epic run alone, within seven days, as a means of marking the 2,500-year anniversary of Pheidippides' run.

Day 2

On the afternoon of 27 July, 36 hours into her quest, Polyzou had covered 120km and arrived outside Ancient Nemea, to the south of Corinth, approximately half way to Sparta. She has begun to feel the effects of her grueling effort, with pains in her legs and blisters on her feet, but her will remains undiminished. "As soon as we solve one problem, another comes up" said her husband Apostolis Mavrogiannis "but mentally she is as strong as ever".

Day 3

On the morning of Wednesday 28 July Maria Polyzou had shaken off the problems that came up on her second day of running in Pheidippides' footsteps and by Wednesday evening she was only 50km from Sparta.

Her pace is on schedule, too, as she had planned to reach Sparta on Thursday, and barring a significant problem she will be at the Peloponnesian city on Thursday afternoon.

Polyzou has been boosted by the support that residents of the areas she passes by give her, with her husband, Apostolis Mavrogiannis recounting what happened on Tuesday at the village of Malandreni.
"Some villagers had come out of Malandreni to see Maria run and asked her whether she needed anything, whether she wanted some food and so on. Maria was pleased to see their genuine interest and said she would love some chicken with spaghetti.

"A family named Kyriakopoulos rushed back to their village and prepared a home-made meal as Maria had wanted it, with exemplary hospitality, stating their pride for what Maria was doing. It was really moving," said Mavrogiannis.

Day 4 - the return journey

Maria Polyzou reached Sparta at 12.00 on 29 July and started her journey back north to Athens and Marathon, as she braves the heat. She has now covered 255km of her 541km run from Athens to Sparta and back since and believes she will be at the Tomb of Marathon on Sunday evening as planned.
"I am facing unforeseen problems and I almost fainted 37km before reaching Sparta," she said. "It is such a great distance, endless kilometres to run, but I am going to make it back."

Polyzou had a rest on the night of 28 July before reaching Sparta and got to the famous statue of King Leonidas around noon. This is the landmark where athletes finish the 240km Spartathlon race every autumn, and Maria was visibly moved to have got there.
She got on her knees and touched the statue, holding a Greek flag, before collapsing in tears for what she had already achieved.
By early afternoon she had already started back north towards Tripolis, which she expects to reach on Friday (30 July).

If she completes the run, Polyzou will become the first woman ever to replicate the legendary feat of Pheidippides, a self-appointed task undertaken in celebration of the 2500th anniversary of the Battle of Marathon.

Day 5 -Polyzou goes on, passing Tripolis

Maria Polyzou suffered injury and was running a high fever on Friday 30 July, but by evening time she was 200km from completing her 541km emulation of Pheidippides' run before the Battle of Marathon, 2500 years ago.

She passed Artemision Mountain, outside Tripolis, and expected to reach Ancient Nemea on Saturday. "Every day I get to a point where I think that I will quit within the next five minutes but I always go on" she said. "I draw strength from the people I see on the road. They come out of their villages to see me and help me. I am looking forward to reaching the Tomb of Marathon and paying my respects there," she concluded, before returning to her evening rest.

Day 6 - Polyzou approaches Corinth

Maria Polyzou was a few kilometres away from Corinth on the evening of 31 July and if all goes well she will be at the Tomb of Marathon by the evening of 2 August. She has shaken off the injuries and high fever that affected on Friday 30 August and has covered more than 400km since last Monday.

Polyzou spent a virtually sleepless night at the prefecture of Arkadia in central Peloponnese with fever getting the better of her, but got up from 05.00 on Saturday and started running towards Corinth. By early evening she was 13km to the south.

“The heat was unbearable today" said her husband Apostolis Mavroyiannis. "The tarmac was burning, but Maria is going on."

Day 7 - Maria Polyzou - where no woman has gone before

Maria PolyzouMaria Polyzou has run from Athens to Sparta and back within a week, becoming the first woman ever to revive the feat of ancient messenger Pheidippides.

Polyzou reached the Acropolis on 1 August at 23.00 with a broad smile on her tired face, as well as eagerness to continue to Marathon. She will reach the Tomb on Monday evening, where the 192 Athenians killed 2500 years ago in the Battle of Marathon were buried.

Polyzou was to have been accompanied by an experienced male runner but Panayiotis Skoulis had to pull out a few days before Polyzou set off.. Despite quickly realising that she was not adequately prepared for the run, she decided to go on. From the second day she had to endure pain in her knees, heat, blisters and high fever on the way back etc. Yet she continued.

Polyzou’s 541km run signals the start of celebrations for the 2500 year anniversary of the Battle that shaped the history of Europe.

On Monday evening at 20.00. the General Secretary for Sports Panos Bitsaxis will honour Polyzou for what she has achieved and what this signifies to the Greek nation: that even when problems seem insurmountable, one can still hope and strive for success. Polyzou has shown the Greeks that where’s a will, there’s a way. A long, very long way at that!

AIMSworldrunning.org

GERMAN ROAD RACES e.V.

From Athens to Sparta and back to Marathon - 520 kilometres - Greek women’s marathon record holder Maria Polyzou - The battle’s 2,500th year anniversary

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