Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1909-05-15


figure slowly running down the road
that led from th' plains Of Marathon.
WIG WIS he, what news did he
bring Slowly the young man
dragged himself into the great plain
where The Nthruluus were wont to
meet He pa-ucl out his message of
.Nir.ory and died. He had run 90
miles and 2S5 yards. which today
has hccd,uc the classic Marathon
distance.
The best historians say that this
Young hero, who not only fought in
the battle, but ran from Marathon
TO Athens uftcrward. was Pheidip-
ridus. Io~uGotus. Father of His
tory" does not mention his name,
however.
Hu, TODAY the government of
Greece accepts him as the hero SO
iu 1925 the historic course was re-
run for the first time from Marathon
lo the great stadium in Athens erect
cd ON the site Of that other stadium
10 N'IN'I NhN l'N u NlllulNN W NuNN
through the lapse of the centuries.
And why was II possible in those
ancient days for men to run so far
and fast? And women. too? Be-
cause or centuries Of training. Phe-
idippilcs had been an athlete even
before he was soldier. lie came
from a family of athletes, undoubted-
ly. No doubt his mother as a girl,
had been runner, too
In those olden days women and
girls. ns we'll as boys and men. en-
tered the athletic games 1t was
nothing against wOmaus modcsty
to take part in running and jumping
against those of her own sex. Some
Of the greatest of Greek statues and
friozes that have survived to our
day show women and girls in athlet-
iC contests. And men looked on.
And how did they train for these
sublime events in their lives? Pri-
marily, they led the simple life. A
regular diet was prescribed for those
who wanted to excel in athletics.
The Greek athlet eschewed wine and
drank nothing but warm water. He
ate new cheese, boiled grain and
dried figs. Meat was not allowable
OF such people came the runner OF
the original Marathon, who gave his
life to do the distance without paus
ing for rest. No doubt, too, thu
Marathon hero had taken Il part II
the sacred Olympian games, or els,
he could never have made the ruI
after fighting all day in battle.
Every few years, accordingly ~
the moon, which marked the Greel
midsummer, drew to its full, pill
Srimage Of all that was best anC
, vigorous In Hclias - ancient Greco,
-- ended at the little plain of olym
pia, in Ellis, the small state on tn,
/, Western coast Of PelopOnnCsus,. n fla
T space with natural barriers of tn,
mountains and river, some ffteer
miles from the sea.
d Long before the beginning of tn,
festival hcralds went forth through
{ out Greece to proclaim truce, dur
! Ing which all fighting must cease be
o. tween city and state and between
( state and state. A whole month o
e peace was proclaimed so that tn,
. Hellenic youth should be able t,
o. travel unmolestcd from the utter
70 most boundaries of Hellas in order I,
70 make the Offering of their picty an,
70 their yigor to the OIympian zeus II
: Ellis
3 The plain of Olympia was sacre,
, ground. 1t was dedicated to Zeus-
or Jupiter their god of gods, an,
( contained on its northernmost sid
} the altis, or sanctum. In this sane
{ -tum was the temple of Zeus and tn
e. temple Of Hora. There We're altar
I to Aphrodite, or Venus, and to De
{ meter. This sanCtum was adorne
a by some of the most beautiful eN
amplcs Of GreCian art, including th
a exquisite statue of Zeus by the grea
e. Greek sculptor Phidas.
D But there were no more Mara
Il thons in those days. Never agai
was that historic race run unit
10 1896, when, ut the new Olympi
Il games, the Greek Government inst
tuted the Marathon race. The star
g was ON the plain of Marathon, tn
= finish in the great new stadium bull
Q in Athens.
- The runners, lightly clad, starte
e of with their attendants on bicycles
= with Greek officers on horsebac
guarding their journey. Physician
Q were stationed along the route
Q give aid il necessary.
+ At Pikcrmi, the Frenchman Len
c ursiauX was leading, followed by III
Australian, Flack; Blake, the Amer
g can, the Hungarian, Kelneso, an
then the Greek runners, the first I
r, whom was Laurentis.