If you missed my three part marathon series on running the marathon:
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

After Tricia found me and I regained my ability to walk, I began my slow journey around the track. I received my finishing medal, and outside the stadium collected a small bag containing a banana, a bottle of powerade, a bottle of water, and some bread/muffin thing called “Feedback.” My feedback: not great.

For some reason we had to use this makeshift wooden bridge to get to the gym. I’m not sure we crossed over anything significant. I think someone just thought it would be funny if they could make people who just completed a marathon climb up and down a set of stairs. Cruel!

Somehow I ended up in “Sponsors Village.” Not where I wanted to be, but I benefited by receiving a couple of pens, a plastic rain poncho, and some bright yellow Chiquita wristbands.

When I finally found the gym, I made a beeline towards the massage tent. Ahhhh….

If you’d like to relive my marathon experience in a fun interactive way, follow the link below. It’s almost like running it with me. Well, except that it only takes a minute and doesn’t require any actual running.
Run the Athens Marathon with Matt

Official Race Results:
Find me on this list!

Photos from the Marathon:

 In case you missed them:
 Part 1 and Part 2

11:31: I pass the 30km mark and glance ahead towards a long, steep hill. Not cool, Athens Marathon! Not cool! The course has been a steady climb since km 18 and I know if I make it to the top of this hill, it’s mostly downhill from there.

11:46: 10 km to go. Legs are starting to cramp. Can’t quite get a full stride into the downhill. I try drinking more water and powerade to stave off the cramps.

12:00: The joy of being in single digits has worn off. My feet hurt. My legs are still cramping. I push on. 7km til victory.

12:15: There is a steep climb (or maybe any hill seems steep at this point) to a sharp downhill towards an underpass tunnel. There is a small detachment of drummers from a marching band in the middle of the tunnel laying down a beat. The beat compels my legs to stride, and I use this momentum to carry myself through the tunnel and up the hill back to the main road.

12:33: I begin my final descent into the historic stadium in Athens. The cramping in my legs is keeping me from fully enjoying this last downhill. The sun emerges for the first time all day, casting its warming rays on the last 400 meters.

12:35: I enter the stadium and the rush of the finish and the cheering fans implore me to sprint this final 100 meters. Two steps into my sprint, my legs threaten to cramp up completely and leave me a crumpled mess on the home stretch. I still manage a pace I consider “fast.” And my hamstrings hold out to the finish…barely.

12:36:40: I hear the beep of my timing chip register my finish time. My right hamstring seizes and I limp to the edge of the stadium to lean against the wall. I glance at my watch. 3:36:40. Much better the the 3:45 I set as my goal. I am cold, wet and exhausted, but most of all I am FINISHED!

Note: If you’re wondering why the clock above my head is different from my official time, it’s because I crossed the starting line about 11 minutes after the first starting group left Marathon. So really, all the times in these blog posts can be shifted 11 minutes. If you want to be technical.

Click here for Part 1

9:05: People are throwing off the sweatshirts they used to keep warm in the starting gates. Men on the side of the road are collecting these in large plastic garbage bags, no doubt to sell them at the nearest flea market. While passing the 1 km marker, someone shouts, “Only 41 more to go!” There is a collective chuckle amongst the crowd of runners.

9:45: Am now passing the 10 km marker. Only 32 to go. Only? There is music and cheering from people lining the road. I silently curse the man cooking rotisserie chicken. I think about stopping for a snack.

10:15: Just over 16 km in I notice a sign pointing towards Mάτι. Mati! An entire Greek town named after me! Legend tells of a mighty warrior named Mati who once fought off the entire Persian army with a spear in one hand and a fist in the other. Or at least that’s the story I made up in my head as I ran by.

10:45: I pass the half-way mark (21.1 km) at 1:43:17. I’m feeling good. I can do this all day!

10:48: I pass the naked statue commemorating Pheidippides, the original Marathon runner 2501 years ago. Tricia and I have a small argument about the placement of the statue. “So, the statue was halfway through the race.  No, the statue was between the halfway mark and the 22 km mark.  So, at the halfway mark, then.  No, it was after the halfway mark, at least 1/2 a kilometer.  Why do you have to be so literal all the time!”

11:11: The winner crosses the finish line. Boubker Abdelkerim from Morocco. I’m still plugging away somewhere near the 26th km mark. Only 16 kilometers behind the leader.

Stay tuned for more marthoning!