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Soccer Pools and Lottery Organization (OPAP SA).
Anyway, before moving on to useful information
about this year's event, let's recount again the
race's history, since there may be only a few who
do not know it, but almost everybody wants to
read about it again!
The Marathon race was proposed for, and includ-
ed in, the schedule of the first modern Olympics
that were held in Athens in 1896. The winner was
Spiridon Louis, a water-carrier who entered the
Panathenaic Stadium in a time of 2 hours, 58 min-
utes and 50 seconds.
The idea of holding the Marathon Race belongs
to Michel Breal, who argued for the inclusion of
this long-distance race in the Olympic Games, in
order to honour the Athenian soldier and runner-
messenger of the Battle of Marathon. This battle
took place in 490 B.C. during the first Persian
I
t should also be noted that this year, the head-
quarters of AIMS are relocated to Spiros Louis
Avenue, at the Olympic Aquatic Centre, in a
symbolic act, fraught with meaning, courtesy of the
Trade with Greece
126
The Athens Classic
Marathon turns thirty!
As it is well known, this
year the Athens Classic
Marathon is celebrating
its 30th anniversary,
along with AIMS (the
Association of
International Marathons
and Distance Races). So, it
is probably not a coinci-
dence that the organizers
of the 30th Classic
Marathon aim at attract-
ing more than 30 thou-
sand competitors, a goal
that, although being defi-
nitely optimistic, is not
unattainable, taking into
account the increase of
participations over time,
as well as the success of
last year's event.
By Leonidas Tsaoulas