ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Organizers of the Athens Classic Marathon say a record 12,500 runners are set to take part in the Oct. 31 race, which will mark 2,500 years since the Battle of Marathon.
But organizers said Tuesday that promotion and prize money for the $2.1 million event has been limited by Greece’s serious financial crisis. Only about 20 elite runners are expected to compete in the race, whose challenging course nearly rules out the possibility of a world record.
The Greek race traces the run of the messenger Pheidippides in 490 B.C. from the plain of Marathon to Athens, where legend says he collapsed and died after announcing the victory of the Greeks over Persian invaders.
The marathon was first run as a competitive race when the Olympics were revived as modern games in 1896 in Athens.
