Marathon Divas

My 2 granddaughters and  24,998 other runners will be taking part in the 43rd Authentic Athens Marathon tomorrow.  The event starts today, Saturday, with another 60,000 taking part in extra events

10 kilometres 

5 kilometres 

1,500 metres

Kids run 1,200 metres

Special Olympics run 1,200 metres

University Night Fun Run

Poppi and Nels on their way to the official sign-in 

With 25,000 runners from all over the world it's difficult to get a place in the event.  They've been booked in for months 

Cost 75 euros for EU citizens

Making their mark

The famous, to us, Bitouni Sisters

The run starts near the burial mound of those fallen at the Battle of Marathon 490 BC and ends in Central Athens at the Panathenaic Stadium 1896

Start

Ye gods and little fishes 

What a crush

Finish

They've got 8 hours to finish the run.  The record is 2 hrs 10 mins 34 secs, run by a Kenyan Edwin Kiprop Kiprop in 2023.

Nels and Poppi will probably, possibly, finish in under 3 hours

Weather prediction

 Warm and dry around 17oC

Their mother, brother, cousins and friends will be waiting at the finish line to cheer, scream, hug, jump with joy

And take photos