Marathon+at+Marathon!

=**Participation in the 2,500th Anniversary of the Marathon**= This page will serve as a link to my experiences as I prepare for and participate in activities in and around [|Athens], Greece in October and November of 2010 when my family and I attend [|the 2,500th anniversary event] of the original 'marathon.' It will include personal observations, pictures, and anecdotes before, during, and after the great event. Also, links to related information will be included. It is hoped that students not only in my classroom, but also in the various buildngs of our district, will be able to profit from this experience.

=Journal= Members of my family and I have met several times, and have conferred via email, texting, and phone calls to determine our dates of departure and return, as well as the venue for our first four days. We will fly from Detroit to Athens on Wednesday, October 27, returning Saturday, November 6, 2010. We plan to stay in the city of Athens until Monday, November 1st. The [|marathon] itself, along with the 10k and 5k runs, will be held on Sunday, October 31st. In addition to planning our flights, we have spent hours pouring over maps, determining sights of greatest importance to visit, and the route we will take to get there. Our itinerary is still in draft phase, but its rough guideline is proving to be exciting already. You can watch the countdown to race time at the official website of the Athens Classic Marathon at [|﻿﻿athensclassicmarathon.gr.] With just over a week away, I think we are ready. Those of us running are in shape for our races, have new socks to help prevent blisters, and have received our bib pick-up information from the organizers of the events. Participation in any of the races also allows us free transportation to and around the city of Athens 3 days prior to the event, and 2 days after. It also gives us reduced admission to a few of the museums in Athens, so we are glad of those added benefits. There is a brand new museam on the Acropolis, which can be viewed on-line at [|newacropolismuseum], that I'm looking forward to seeing. It amazes me to see a merging of culture that is thousands of years old with the latest in technology from our current century! Our [|first 4 days] will be spent in the city of Athens. There, we will explore the culture of the people by visiting ancient sites, such as the Acropolis and the Agora, and more 'modern' sites such as the Plaka, the original Olympic stadium, the National Gardens, and the Greek Parliament where we can see the guards (Evzones) dressed in their traditional uniforms. Of course, we will also learn about the culture as we eat the traditional Greek food, such as tiropitas and mousaka. Yia sou! (that's Greek for 'hello' and 'good bye') So, for today, 'good bye' from MIchigan, and tomorrow it will be 'hello' from Athens. Yia sas! ('hello to all') My first chance to be on the internet, and so much to tell! Athens was amazing, from the visits to the archeological sites to the walking in the plaka and through the National Gardens, from the public transportation (the subway is wonderful---so elegant looking with the marble walls and floors, a rock that is cheap because it is local, but looks so expensive because it is not local for us--and very easy to use) to the many stairs (marble also) and foot paths to follow from one place to the next. And the races--oh, my! After getting our son off on marathon bus transportation to the city of Marathon at 5:30 a.m., my daughter, son-in-law and I all readied for the 9:30 start of the 5k and 10k races. I was expecting an easy run, because 5k is so short (compared to 42k, the marathon, it is nothing), but was surprised by the hills. Sites we had spent three days visiting on foot in short intervals were my scenery for the run, to say nothing of all the people! I met and spoke with people from Atlanta, GA as well as rural England, Toronto, and Greece prior to the start of the race. There were 12,500 entered in the marathon, and a 'mere' 4,500 and 3,500 respectively in the 10k and 5k. So, the start was little more than a walk as we tried to space ourselves out in the section of the street we were corraled in for the start of the race. Once we got going, there was more than elbow room, and the pace felt good. We finished in the Olympic Stadium that was the first venue for the modern Olympics, begun in 1896, and then went to join those in the stands to await the winners of the marathon, which had begun a halfhour prior to the 5 and 10k races. Finishing in 1st place was a runner from Kenya, winning his first ever marathon and settin a new record with a time of 2 hours, 12 minutes, and 40 seconds. [|He was thrilled to have won his first race here, at the historic 2,500th marathon], and was quoted in the International Herald Tribune as saying it was the most difficult marathon course he has ever run, due to the many hills. After watching the first several runners come in, and rejoicing with the crowd in the stadium, we returned to our hotel to shower and then go back to the course to await our son's finish. Fortunately, our daughter and her husband beat us there, because due to transportation difficulties, my husband and I missed our son's finish. He was ecstatic to have finished, and still cannot believe he ran a full marathon. He does have a beautiful gold medal to prove it, as well as his stats on the website. Oh! I almost forgot--when we were outside the [|Acropolis Musem], waiting for a friend to arrive, he saw Fred, the older gentleman classmate of his who a year ago got him interested in running this marathon. They used to run together, but had since lost contact, so were happy to run into eachother. Of course, Fred and his wife were in town for the marathon, but they did not know our son would be there, too. I am glad they chanced to meet up prior to the race. So, Sunday I ran the last 200m in the Panhellenic Stadium, and today I ran 200m (twice) in the ORIGINAL Olympic Stadium in Olympia, Greece! It was amazing. We also saw the site of the Olympic flame, which was a real surprise. The flame lighting takes place in Olympia before each Olympics, through use of a magnifying glass, but in the 'off' season, there is no cauldron at all, just a roped off area of grass and ancient stone. I will post pictures later, after we get back. It is late, so I will close for now. But, we are safe, despite the latest news on CNN of bombings in Athens and its airport. We are in southern Greece, nowhere near the city at this time. We have travelled winding roads, it seems around every edge of the mountains in the Peloppenes, from [|Olympia] to Nafplio, and are enjoying our three days here. We spent the first day exploring the museum and the old church that sits above the city, offering excellent views of the harbor. Day two we traveled first to the famous Mycenae, where we used a flashlight to descend 89 steps to the bottom of an ancient cistern after climbing around the ruins of the site, as well as a visit to the museum. Items in the museums are from 5th and 6th centuries B.C., and continue to amaze me with their obvious detail. After Mycenae and a light lunch, we were off again to another ancient site, this time to [|Epidaurus]. Here, I climbed to the top of the 13,000 seat theater, and then back down to the very center where I conducted the experiment I'd told all my Drama students about---the theater still baffles scientists with its accoustics---if you stand in the center of the circular theater, and whisper or drop a coin, the sound can be heard clearly all the way to the top of the seating. I dropped two euro coins, and talked to my family in both a whisper and a normal volume voice, and they gave me a 'thumbs up' that they could hear me each time. They then also joined me in the center, and spoke to the 'audience,' and were amazed at the amplification they could hear from that spot. Now, it is time for bed. =﻿Historical Information= There is much to see and do in the city of Athens. Known world-wide for the [|acropolis], (two Greek words, __acro__-the edge, and __polis__--city---think of words you know, like Indiana__polis__ and metro__polis__), this site is breath-taking both day and night. The [|history of the city]of Athens helps visitors understand the importance of the acropolis. Information on the [|city of Marathon] and its part in the running of the 'marathon' can be viewed through several sources.
 * July 11, 2010**
 * August 12, 2010**
 * October 19, 2010**
 * October 26, 2010**
 * 2 November 2010**
 * Later....**
 * 4 November**
 * Students**: I hope the PSA is finished for Drama class--I am eager to see it! English students: I look forward to hearing your stories, full of description and dialogue. Honors English: I hope the NaNoWriMo plan worked without any technology glitches.....see you on Monday!