Saina wins the Athens Marathon (© Intime/Athens Marathon)
Athens, GreeceThe dress rehearsal for the Olympic Marathon takes place this Sunday, 2 November, on the course which gave this running discipline its name, from the village of Marathon to Athens. And the East African men - Kenyans, Ethiopians, Tanzanians - look set to dominate the Athens Classic Marathon, as they are expected to do in ten months' time for the Olympic race.
The organisers recognise that they can't compete (yet!) with the New York Marathon, which also takes place also on Sunday, in terms of race numbers and prize money. But they have something that no other marathon in the world can match - the original course.
Whether it's dated from 490BC, when Philippides is supposed to have run to Athens to announce a famous victory over the invading Persians on the field of Marathon, or whether it's the inaugural Olympic race 107 years ago, nothing can compare with one of the toughest courses in the world.
For the first Modern Olympic race in 1896, the road from Marathon was little more than a dirt track. It has gradually improved over the years, but the transformation since Athens was awarded the Games has been startling. The whole road is being upgraded, and there is a new stadium at the exit from Marathon, which serves as the warm-up area for the race. The finish is still in the impressive marble Panathanaikon Stadium, built for the 1896 Games.
There is a record entry of 3,500 runners from over 30 countries for the 21st birthday of the Athens Classic Marathon, which has also involved a revamp, with Alpha Bank, one of the Olympic Games' biggest sponsors pouring in over a million euros to upgrade the historic race.
Defending champion Mark Saina is looking to continue the run of victories by Kenyans in major marathons recently. But Simretu Alehmayehu of Ethiopia, with a best of 2.07.45 (Turin Marathon 2001, 1st), and Bayo Zebedayo of Tanzania, with 2.08.51 are set to challenge.
Sonia Krolik of Germany, the bronze medallist from the European Championships in Munich last year is going for her third consecutive victory in the women's event.
