Marathon to Athens, The legends of the marathon, Self-Guided mobile tour
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Marathon to Athens, The legends of the marathon, Self-Guided mobile tour
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Marathon to Athens, The legends of the marathon, Self-Guided mobile tour

3h20
About this activity
The tour begins at the starting line of the marathon race in Marathon. Most contemporary runners go through months of vigorous training before attempting to run the 42 kilometers that separate Marathon from Athens. But in 1896 Spyros Louis, an unknown water carrier from a suburb of Athens, won the marathon after a rudimentary preparation that included praying the whole night before the race. When he entered the stadium the crowd went wild with excitement. The princes entered the track to accompany him while King George enthusiastically waved his naval hat in salute. The unexpected triumph of a Greek runner created a sensation that lasted for years.
The marathon is the brainchild of the French intellectual Michel Bréal. This race did not exist in antiquity but he drew inspiration from the legend of Pheidippides, the runner who announced the Athenian victory in Marathon. Ancient Greeks were not overly fond of long races (“Nothing in excess” was a well-known inscription at the temple of Apollo in Delphi) and yet it seems there were numerous runners who completed amazing feats of endurance...and then collapsed.
The stories of The legends of the marathon span millennia. They include the captivating efforts of Grigoris Lambrakis, a well-respected politician deeply involved in the anti-war movement of the 1960s, who attempted to walk from Marathon to Athens in the service of world nuclear disarmament only to be arrested and manhandled by the police. They shed light on the generous and charitable contributions of Georgios Averoff, a wealthy expatriate Greek from Alexandria, Egypt, who financed the reconstruction of the Panathenaic Stadium in Pentelic marble, the stone used for the Parthenon. And, of course, we cannot fail to mention the elephant in the room, the giant green glass Runner which announces to all marathon runners that the end of the race is near.
To take this self-guided tour you will need the app on your iOS or Android device.
HIGHLIGHTS
• Visit to the burial mound of the 192 Athenians who died defending their city against the invading Persians at Marathon.
• Understand the meaning of the Greek expression “nothing is more permanent than what is meant to be temporary” before a giant green glass Runner.
• Explore the magnificent Panathenaic Stadium, birthplace of the modern Olympic Games.
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Included
  • Self-guided tour for your smartphone in English and Greek
  • Offline content with offline interactive map and signature stories
  • Secure promo code to access the tour after downloading the app with no extra fees
Not included
  • Smartphone
  • App not available for Windows phones
  • Transportation to/from attractions
  • Food and drinks
  • Hotel pickup and drop-off
Additional
  • Confirmation will be received at time of booking
  • Not wheelchair accessible
  • Please note that this is an audio self-guided tour. No VR / AR is included, no physical guide will accompany you.
  • You must have an Android or iOS smartphone for this digital tour.
  • After booking, you will receive an email with your personal promo code and instructions to download the app from the Apple App Store or Google Play and unlock this tour.
  • The tour is yours to use at any moment you wish according to your schedule and also repeat any time.
  • Usage of headphones is recommended, in order to best enjoy this multimedia (audio, photos & text) self-guided tour.
  • Book per device to be used, not per participant.
  • This tour/activity will have a maximum of 15 travelers
Features
Tourism
95%
Cultural
85%
Original
25%
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