Poseidon Half Marathon. May 2022. Athens, Greece.
In the land of Homer’s heroes and more than three thousand years after the swift Achilles, we ran the Poseidon Half Marathon in the mythical port of Piraeus, southwest of Athens.
You feel the breeze of the Aegean Sea in your hair and the salt water on your skin. And it would seem that Poseidon, who gives his name to the race, is watching the successors of the ancient Olympic athletes running near his realm.
TLDR; “too long, didn’t read”
- I just want to run! Take me to RACE.
- Running is my excuse for travelling. Take me to TRIP.
- Running is my excuse for eating. Take me to CARBOLOADING.
- I only have 1 minute. Take me to USEFUL INFORMATION.
- I want to know what to read in the plane. Take me to ONE BOOK.
🌍 The trip 📷 : What to see in Athens in one day
I wanted to run in Greece, where Pheidippides gave up his life to proclaim his “Rejoice, we have won!”.
But I was not trained enough to face the hard 42 kilometers of the “Athens Authentic Marathon”, which takes place every November. In this marathon, every year more than 20,000 runners run uphill in the route from Marathon to Athens.
The Poseidon Half Marathon, which is run along the seafront of Athens itself, seemed ideal.
This way we could also spend the weekend in Athens and visit some of the most important archaeological sites in the world.
So, we arrived on Friday night and had Saturday to do tourism.
We visited the Acropolis and the temple of Zeus:
and the Panathenaic stadium (where the Athens marathon ends):
Although in the city there are not only ruins from the time of Pericles. If you are near the Greek Parliament at eleven in the morning, you can observe the changing of the guard:
With very tall soldiers dressed in “fustanella” skirts and shoes with pompoms raising their legs high!
We also walked through the streets of Monastirakiy and got lost in the streets of Plaka.
But watch out: it is easy to put miles in your legs while you are seeing the Parthenon and buying rubber ducks with “this is Sparta”-branded shields… So, Caution!!! The day after you will pay for it during the race!
🍜 Carboloading and Protein Recovery 🍝: What to eat
In any of these neighborhoods there are multiple options for “carbo loading” with Greek, Mediterranean and very healthy food.
We ended up in a restaurant on the beach (the same beach we would run along the day after): also a very good option.
We chose a spinach and cheese pie, and spanakopita, rich in iron, protein and carbohydrates, and easy to digest.
📅 The Race Expo 🎽
In the afternoon we approached the “runner’s fair”, which was located in the “cultural and sports center” of the municipality of Paleo Faliro.
We had a hard time finding it.
The indications in Greek confused us and we ended up in another pavilion… where a political meeting was being held 🙄!!!
With the confusion cleared up, we left: we had no intention of exercising the vote in the land where “Athenian democracy” flourished…
“What keeps democracy alive but the hatred of excellence, the desire of villains to see no head higher than their own?”
“Alexias of Athens”, Mary Renault.
We finally found a sports hall where the BIBs were handed out.
There were four tables with smiling and attentive volunteers who gave us our “runner pack”. It was clear that the Poseidon half marathon is a race without the ambition of the “Authentic marathon”.
In the bag we found a nice technical t-shirt in which the blue of the Aegean Sea predominated.
🏃♀️ The race 🏃♂️
The race is designed to enjoy the best views and sights of Fáliro Bay. And since the circuit is flat and allows you to go through the same places twice, it is easy to do so.
The sea is my kingdom, and horses my favorite creatures.
Poseidon, in “Greek Mythology
I love watching runners riding along the beach, feeling the breeze in their hair and the salt water on their skin. Runners are like horses, elegant and powerful, and I admire them
Before the race
It starts at a cracked tartan athletics track. It has certain air of high school competition.
Along with the vast majority of runners speaking Greek, the atmosphere was festive, local and friendly.
The temperature in Athens wasn’t very spring-like (it was perfect for running, in fact), and we weren’t the only ones who opted to wear long sleeves.
First kilometers
The first kilometers of the race pass through the Marina Flisvou.
You pass by restaurants and cafes, with the smell of saltpeter and algae mixed with that of fish.
There is a warship, the “Averof”, and while you are looking at the many attractions in the area, the kilometers go by without you almost realizing it.
You cross a very wide pedestrian bridge and leave behind modern buildings.
Last kilometers
I remembered when passing by one of these buildings, the “Stavros Niarchos” foundation, that a few years ago, when digging to build its foundations, the workers made a macabre discovery from the archaic era…
A mass grave with eighty skeletons of young men! Supposedly related to the “Plot of Cylon”. Funnily enough, Cylon was a former Olympic champion in 640 B.C.E. !
Wow, another proof that we were running where Pericles promoted democracy in the golden age of Athens, fought against Sparta and laid the foundations of Western culture.
Hemlock stories, debates, tyrants and democrats at every stride!!!
We continued moving forward, enjoying the marina full of yachts or a stadium dedicated to peace.
Aid stations were frequent and offered water and isotonic drinks.
There were also portable toilets. Everything was well organized.
The course stretched along the promenade, with views of the beach all the time. In the restaurants, people were having breakfast 🤤…
NENIKÁMEN! (We won)
We ended up in the same stadium, where each of the runners was being photographed and pop music was playing under a pearl gray sky.
It started to rain as we collected our medals.
We came back to our hotel thinking on how three thousand years after the golden age of Athens, its devotion to exercise and fitness, and its values of endurance and determination are still more relevant than ever.
Useful information
🏆 Athens Poseidon Half marathon (21k) / Half marathon with relay / 10k / 5k
Number of runners: approx 1000.
🌐 Website: https://poseidon-athenshalfmarathon.com/en/
🗓️ In mid-April, in the port of Piraeus, Athens, Greece, in Europe.
👟 On the feet, asphalt shoes. Low difficulty. A flat circuit through the city.
✅ Cheap and with the possibility of visiting Athens: for citizens of the European Union, the price for the half marathon ranges from 19 to 24 euros (depending on when you register). Well organized, with a good atmosphere.
✅ Flat circuit with good scenery.
❌ You are left wanting more: to run the marathon and finish at the Panathinaikó stadium.
Map
One book
“The Iliad”, by Homer.
One of the two grand works attributed to Homer (the other is “The Odyssey”), “The Iliad” is set towards the end of the Trojan War and it depicts the fight between the swift warrior Achilles and Agamemnon.
Plot Summary: Dating to the ninth century B.C., Homer’s timeless poem still vividly conveys the horror and heroism of men and gods wrestling with towering emotions and battling amidst devastation and destruction, as it moves inexorably to the wrenching, tragic conclusion of the Trojan War. Renowned classicist Bernard Knox observes in his superb introduction that although the violence of the Iliad is grim and relentless, it coexists with both images of civilized life and a poignant yearning for peace.
