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A monthly section on physical and mental well-being. ■ December 12, 2007 A
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M A R AT H O N SP IRI T
Three Menlo Park runners participate in the race where it all started By Carol Pechler l Special to the Almanac
ntrigued by the origin of the marathon — the 26.2mile race Arlene McCarthy and I had each run elsewhere 10 times — three of us decided to enter the Nov. 4 race on the first marathon’s 2500-year-old course, in Athens, Greece. We had first dreamed of running that original course after watching the men’s and women’s marathon races of the 2004 Olympics in Athens. It would be the first marathon run for Arlene’s husband, Jim, and my husband, Henk Pechler, was happy to go with us as “towel boy,” he said. Actually, he became our historian-translator as well. Runners tell the legend of the Battle of Marathon: In 490 B.C., Greece’s Athenian army defeated the invading thens, Persians at this battle, 26 miles to the east of Athens, pides, and then they sent their best runner, Philippides, ce (spelled variously) back to Athens to announce the rted victory. The legend concludes that after he spurted out his news, he collapsed and died. Of course the three of us — all Menlo Park residents residents e — expected to finish better! Nevertheless, we all ran e slower than our usual pace, finishing after more than 5 hours of running. “It was hard. That hill slowed us down,” Arlene Arlene reported. (Mile 13 to Mile 20 was a 900-foot climb.) climb.)
See MARATHON SPIRIT, page 27 ge
On course in Athens are, from left, Arlene McCarthy, Jim McCarthy and Carol Pechler. At right, a detail from the Temple of Zeus.
FOLLOWING IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF THE VICTORIOUS
he term “marathon” is significant for several reasons, including: ■ The Battle of Marathon is considered the most important of all the ancient Greek battles, because it caused the people to embrace rule by the people, and therefore led to the birth of democracy. ■ The Olympic Games event that was started in 1896, now exactly 26.2 miles long, was named for the 490 B.C. battle, and was inspired by the rapid movement of the army back to Athens. ■ It refers to an event that has seen a

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