Download The Athens Classic Marathon,a tribute to human willpower and

The Athens Classic Marathon,a tribute to human willpower and noble spirit
Peace. Democracy. Effort. Participation. Equality. Heritage. Solidarity.
Values that characterize a unique event, one that surpasses the importance of a race
and is directly identified with the Greek cultural heritage.
As a sports event, the Athens Classic Marathon is of particular importance and
international acclaim, having received the «Gold» designation by the IAAF.
As a cultural event, the idea of the marathon race derives from the Battle of Marathon.
A battle with a special historical significance that set the boundaries between East and
West and preserved the cultural and spiritual greatness of the city of Athens and of the
ancient Greek civilization in general. The Athens Classic Marathon's course is the
same to the one the hero soldier ran to announce the message of victory to the
Athenians,
leaving
his
last
breath
right
afterwards.
From an athletic, historical and social perspective, the Marathon is associated with the
"rebirth" of the Olympic Idea, in the modern times, featured in the first Olympic
Games of Athens in 1896, with the Greek athlete Spiros Louis its first winner in
modern history; while its significance was further broadened with Grigoris
Lambrakis' peace march in 1963.
The Athens Classic Marathon is a unique path:
It is the original route taken by the Athenian soldier to convey the message of victory.
It has not been designed for the conduct of the sport, alike the courses of other
marathons. It is the original route of the first Marathon as it was mapped out by the
historical
context.
It is for this authenticity that it is considered as a mostly demanding course; a path
where the slopes fluctuate irregularly, following the landforms of Attica, the
completion of which requires strategy, discipline and endurance.
It is a route that demands intense human willpower.
This route runs parallel to the course of Greece in time. Starting from the battle that in
490 BC saved the country and Europe from the barbarians, to rejoin the nation in the
moment of its "rebirth", and accompanying it ever since to its future path.
OPAP SA, in its 53yeared course, has traveled its own path, directly supporting the
Greek sports: contributing to the acquisition of modern infrastructure, supporting all
sporting events and the majority of Greek athletes, elevating the quality of Greek
sports. Always consistent with its basic objective that is the transformation of its
business development to the substantive contribution in the areas of sports, culture,
education, health and environmental protection.
Now, at this very time, OPAP SA joins forces with the Marathon Movement,
assuming the role of the Grand Sponsor of the Athens Classic Marathon for the period
from 2011 to 2016.
With the aim of supporting its development in a way that benefits the country and the
society. With the desire to shed more light on a sports event where it is not the
ranking, but the participation that matter; where the final outcome is mostly a matter
of will.