Athens Classic Marathon Athens Classic Marathon The Athens Classic (authentic) Marathon is an annual marathon road race held in Athens, Greece, normally in early November. The race attracted 43,000 competitors in 2015 of which 16,000 were for the 42.195 km course, both numbers being an all-time record for the event. The rest of the runners competed in the concurrent 5 and 10 kilometres road races and the racewalking contest. The marathon course is based on the legend from which the race gained its name: Pheidippides, a messenger in Ancient Greece, ran from the Battle of Marathon to Athens to announce the Greeks' victory
Tomb of the Unknown Soldier (Athens) of a dead warrior lying on the ground. He holds a circular shield in his left hand and wears an Ancient Greek-style helmet. The representation of the body gives the impression that the Unknown Soldier is ready to arise at any moment. To the left and right of the sculpture are phrases from the works of Thucydides. To the left, "" ("There's one empty bier made up for the unidentified [fallen] ones"); to the right, "" ("The whole earth is the sepulchre of famous men"). Both are quotes from "History of the Peloponnesian War". Over the main sculpture in smaller