Marathon

At the 2004 Summer Olympics, Marathon was the starting point for both mens and womens marathon races.

Marathon is a town in Greece, the site of the battle of Marathon in 490 BC, in which the Athenian army defeated the Persians. A legendary run of a messenger named Phidippides from Marathon to Athens, a distance of 26.2 miles or 42 kilometres, after the battle forms the basis for the modern-day marathon race. When the messenger arrived in Athens, he shouted “NENIKIKAMEN” (we were victorious) and died. Later for mourning Athens’ soldiers, a mound was made. Today there is a park around this mound.

Marathon is the Greek word for fennel. It is believed that the town was originally named so because of an abundance of fennel plants in the area.

In 1925 a dam was constructed by the American company ULEN in a valley above Marathon, in order to ensure water supply for Athens. It was completed in 1930. About 10 km² of forested land were flooded to form Lake Marathon. The Dionysos-Nea Makri road, part of GR-83, passes through a traffic-light-controlled one-lane driveway on the crest of the dam wall. The plain area lies to the southeast.

The beach of Schinias is located southeast of the town: it is a popular windsurfing spot and the Olympic Rowing Center for the 2004 Summer Olympics is also located there.

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Marathon wikipedia entry
The Olympic Movement

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