Race Report: Athens Marathon

Well Athens didn’t disappoint, an epic stadium/location start and finish with a few miles in between. So glad I had the opportunity to run the original, anuthentic marathon at the weekend and tick it off my bucket list. 

It nearly beat me but I managed to hold on and conquer this historic race, which included the 4Hs – heat, humidity, headwind and hills, oh those hills, brutal. 

The first half was nicely paced, meeting the first incline at mile 7 to 10, then a nice respite at 10-12, before the second half. About the second half, 8 miles that went up and up and when you thought you were nearing the top a quick drop took you even further up, like a trail run on the road . But once at the top and eventually there was a top, it was downhill all the way to the end, and by then my race went downhill, but digging deep and with the excitement of where I was going to finish – The Panathenaic Stadium, I jogged on. And what a finish, no other finish line is so historic or iconic. 

So my race was done, the original conquered, and bucket list complete! 

I settled for 3hr 39 in the end,  but then it was never about the time, just about being an olypian 

This was tough if you’re not a hill person like myself but a must, so iconic, so epic, so historic. So add it to your bucket list or a harrier tour, and if you do so in the next few years, please look out for my thighs and return them asap. 

A School boy error going off too fast to take hills on second half into equation. Nope that didn’t work

One of the hottest and hardest races I’ve done! So bring on Fordcombe hill any day.