The resounding success of the “Athens Marathon. The Authentic” in its growth in participants and elite performance in recent years was confirmed by the men’s winner of the title in the 36th edition on Sunday, Brimin Misoi of Kenya, running the third fastest ever on the historic course of 2:10:56, just one second slower than it took Stefano Baldini of Italy to win the Olympic title on the same course in 2004. It was a day of record breaking in terms of overall participants, with 18,750 runners who entered the marathon and, adding various shorter distance events held in conjunction, a total of 55,000.
“The legend continues. Each year the Athens Marathon gets better and better,” said Paco Borao, President of AIMS, the Association of International Marathons and Distance Races, at the press conference for the “Athens Marathon. The Authentic.” A record entry of 18,750 runners will be on the start line on Sunday. The course follows the original marathon route of the first Olympic Games of the modern era in 1896, beginning at the town of Marathon and running over a severely undulating route into the old Panathinaic Olympic Stadium. Taking into account other, shorter races held in conjunction with the main event, around 55,000 runners are expected to participate in the “Athens Marathon. The Authentic.”
Eliud Kipchoge has been elected the Best Marathon Runner of the Year (BMR) by the members of the Association of International Marathons and Distance Races (AIMS) for the fourth time in a row. Fellow-Kenyan Gladys Cherono takes the prestigious title for the first time. Gladys Cherono will be in Athens for the presentation of the award at the annual gala on Friday night, staged by AIMS and the Hellenic Athletics Federation (SEGAS) at the impressive „Megaro - The Athens Concert Hall“. Horst Milde, founder of the Berlin Marathon, will also be in Athens to receive the 2018 AIMS Lifetime Achievement Award. Former AIMS President Hiroaki Chosa, who can not travel to Greece, has been elected for this Award as well. The winners were announced by AIMS.
Only one marathon has unique status in terms of sport history, despite the ever-growing number of city races. It is not New York, London, Berlin or Tokyo but Athens. When the “Athens Marathon. The Authentic” gets underway on November 11, the runners will be returning to the very origin of the event. This is where the history of the marathon race began with the legend of the Greek messenger, soldier and runner who is thought to have run from Marathon to Athens in 490 BCE to bring news of the victory in battle over the Persians. According to legend the messenger, once in Athens, collapsed and died.
