MARATHON FLAME, Laurel Wreaths returning from GREECE to bring “The Spirit of the Marathon” to Canada

for Scotiabank TORONTO Waterfront Marathon weekend, October 14–16

• Flame to ignite “Marathon Spirit, values and ideals” in T.O. — of world peace, fair competition, sport as a way of life; and what can be achieved through dedication, determination and courage.
• Mayor Rob Ford Proclaims October 10-16 “Marathon Week in Toronto”.
• Pheidippides and the Battle of Marathon, 490 BC. Who ran? Who won? Who died? And what it means for every runner at STWM2011.
• City Councillors, Celebrities highlight Torch Relay from Kew Gardens to the Exhibition on Friday morning October 14 to light Cauldron with Consul General of Greece. (Councillors Stintz, Layton, Berardinetti and Fregadakis confirmed to run.)
• Re-visit the MARATHON FLAME and GreekTown at STWM 2010: Photo Album
• Be a part of it! Run, Pledge, Cheer, Volunteer. The Weekend Schedule.

Last year, the Marathon Flame and 6 Laurel Wreaths made of olive branches from trees at the Battlefield of Marathon site came from Greece to mark the 2,500th Anniversary of the first marathon run by Pheidippides in 490 BC, over the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon weekend. The Flame returns this year, first to Chicago, then onto Toronto Waterfront, to return carrying the ideals, the values, and The Spirit of the Marathon Movement. This will be the only stop in Canada for the Flame.

The Flame and victory laurels will be the key elements of the Toronto Waterfront Weekend of festivities, October 14-16, that features a 12km Celebrity Torch Relay run starting at 8:00am from the “Alex Christie Bandshell” in Kew Gardens, The Beach. It moves along the Martin Goodman Trail for the next two hours and finishes between 10:00 and 10:15 at the Direct Energy Centre at Exhibition Place.

There, the Marathon Flame Cauldron will be lit for the weekend. Beach Councillor Mary Margaret McMahon will light the Torch in Kew Gardens, then City Councillors and Celebrities will run with it to the Exhibition Grounds in front of the Expo where Consul General of Greece in Toronto, Dimitris Azemopoulos, will preside over the cauldron-lighting ceremony that opens the Expo. The Flame will burn at the Expo until Saturday night when it will be moved to the finish Line for the actual Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon footrace on Sunday morning. Laurel wreaths will be presented to the race champions in the finish area.

The Greek communities of Toronto, Mississauga and Markham and the Hellenic Hope Centre will also be hosting post-race entertainment on the Main Stage in Arundel Park opposite Scotia Plaza on Sunday morning the 16th, as well as “GREEK TOWN”, a major Cheering & Entertainment site at Broadview and Eastern Avenue. This will be at the 39km point on the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon course during the race, from 10:30pm to 3:00pm on Race Day, with more music, dancing, clowns and children's games in support of 4 community charities.

All events throughout the weekend are free and open to the public. The hosting of the Marathon Flame and the Celebration of the global Marathon Movement are being held under the joint auspices of the offices of the City of Toronto and The Consul General of Greece in Toronto, Dimitris Azemopoulos.

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Mayor Rob Ford Proclaims October 10th–16th "Marathon Week in Toronto"

Mayor Rob Ford & Council Proclaim October 10th-16th "Marathon Week in Toronto" to Welcome The Marathon Flame from Greece, to celebrate the 2,501st Anniversary of the Battle of Marathon, and bring the spirit, the values and the ideals of the Marathon Movement to Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon weekend. Read proclamation »

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Three components to the visit of The Marathon Flame to Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon

1. Pheidippides and the LEGEND

The first-ever “Marathon run” took place in 490 BC when a brave Athenian soldier-messenger named Pheidippides ran 40 kilometres from the battlefield at Marathon to Athens, to carry the news of a famous Greek victory. It was a victory against insurmountable odds, where 10,000 heroic Athenians defeated a Persian Army of 150,000. Legend has it that Pheidippides reached Athens, exclaimed “Nenikèkamen” (“We are victorious”), then died from exhaustion.

The Battle of Marathon was one of the proudest moments in the history of ancient Greece. The Athenian and Plataeans forces, unassisted, beat the Persians for the first time on land. The victory endowed them with a faith in their destiny which was to endure for three centuries, during which time western culture was born. It is said that a defeat of the Athenians in this battle could easily have changed the tide of history.

Then 24 centuries later, poets, artists, and the founding of the Modern Olympics built the legend of Pheidippides and the marathon, and began its transformation into one of the most important mass movements in the world today. In 1869, French painter and illustrator, Luc-Olivier Merson dramatized Pheidippides' arrival in Athens and his proclamation of victory in a powerful, romantic painting. Ten years later, England's Robert Browning continued to build the heroic legend in his poem, “Pheidippides”:

So, when Persia was dust, all cried "To Akropolis!
Run, Pheidippides, one race more! the meed is thy due!
'Athens is saved, thank Pan,' go shout!" He flung down his shield,
Ran like fire once more: and the space 'twixt the Fennel-field
And Athens was stubble again, a field which a fire runs through,
Till in he broke: "Rejoice, we conquer!" Like wine thro' clay,
Joy in his blood bursting his heart, he died—the bliss!

The establishment of the “marathon” event and the Pheidippides legend was completed with the creation of the Modern Olympic Games in Athens in 1896. According to the Association of International Marathons, French historian Michele Breal proposed re-enacting Pheidippides legendary run in an event that would test man's powers of endurance. He even offered to put up a silver trophy for the winner. Baron Pierre de Coubertin, the driving force behind the creation of the Modern Olympic Games, and Dimitris Vikelas, the Greek scholar and first president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) from 1894 to 1896, embraced the idea with enthusiasm. The legend of the Athenian soldier-runner-messenger was therefore honoured by a 40 kilometre footrace from the Marathon bridge to the Marble Olympic Stadium in Athens.

This first-organized Marathon race took place on 10 April, as the “final, climactic event” of the first Modern Olympic Games. The host nation was ecstatic when a Greek water carrier, Spyridon Louis, crossed the line victorious in 2 hours, 58 minutes, and 50 seconds — and the marathon event was indelibly set as the signature athletics event of the modern era. The distance was tweaked to 42.195km at the 1908 Olympics and it took until the 1920s for this to become firmly set as the precise, only “marathon race” distance. But in 1896 in Athens, the modern “marathon” was born. Inspired by Athens, the Boston Marathon was established on the third Monday of April in 1897, and the race was on!

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2. The Marathon Flame and what it stands for

In 2007, The “Marathon Flame” was established to burn as a symbol of world peace, and to spread the ideals of the Marathon around the world — the spirit of fair competition and the promotion of participation in sports as way of life. It was created by the Athens Classic Marathon Organizing Committee, the Hellenic Athletics Federation (SEGAS), and the Municipality of Marathon, and was immediately adopted by AIMS [The Association of International Marathons and the road running affiliate of IAAF] and of the Marathon Movement worldwide. The “Marathon Flame” is lit every October/November, on the eve of the Athens Classic Marathon, during a special international ceremony that takes place inside the sacred archeological site of the Battle of Marathon Warriors' Tomb. The “Flame” is kept in the Marathon Run Museum in the Municipality of Marathon, throughout the year after its Lighting Ceremony.

As guardians, SEGAS, the Municipality of Marathon, and AIMS have established a “Marathon Flame” exchange program with other cities that organize major international marathon marathons. This exchange program is meant not only to promote the goals of the Marathon Movement and the ideals of the “Marathon Flame”, but also to create a network of cities connected with the birthplace of this unique race. Toronto is proud to be one of the designated “partner” cities.

The Marathon Flame and the Marathon Torch for the Relay Run will travel from Greece to Toronto on October 12th with the Mayor of Marathon, Mr. Iordanis Louizos and SEGAS delegates, Mr. Thanassis Vogiatzis and Mr. Ioannis Stamatopoulos.

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3. Tying it all together: what it all means for us today, plus the Weekend Schedule of Celebrations in Toronto

The Cauldron and its precious Flame will provide the centrepiece, the key symbol for STWM, a symbol that it's “Marathon Weekend” in the city, and the Marathon's values will burn brightly.

According to Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon Race Director, Alan Brookes:

We are delighted to have the Marathon Flame celebrations as the signature feature of STWM 2011 weekend. It is a great honour and recognition for our city and our event on the world stage. For many of us in Canada, it will be not only the history and the spirit of the marathon that resonates, but what it actually means for us today. Little did Pheidippides know when he ran from Marathon to Athens that 2,500 years later there would be a “worldwide movement”.

The marathon has arguably become THE life achievement of the everyday person in our era. What does it mean to Kenneth Mungara and the other East Africans who will come to our city on October 16th to race at 20 kilometres an hour to take money home to support their villages and families? What does it mean to our aspiring Canadian Olympians like Reid Coolsaet, Eric Gillis, Dylan Wykes, Simon Bairu, Rob Watson and Matt Loiselle who will be straining every sinew in the hopes of making the qualifying standard for London 2012? What does it mean for the 164 charities in this year's Scotiabank Group Charity Challenge, their runners and our Neighbourhood Champions who will raise more than $2.75 million on Race Day, that will impact lives across the GTA all year long? What does it mean to the “Boston-qualifier hopefuls”, the weekend warriors, and the “life-achievement” runners who have trained in Running Room and other Clinic groups for 5 or 6 months to scale their Everest, to be fit and healthy, to come back from pregnancy, to rebuild self-esteem and pride after hardship? What does it mean to the 1,000 children from 19 inner-city public schools who will run the Waterfront 5K as the culmination of a month of logging 37 kms, thus totalling 42 kms on race day, making them “marathon kids”? As well, having an opportunity to meet Canadian and international star athletes and role models and embracing a healthy lifestyle? What does the estimated $25+ million economic impact from the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon with 22,000 runners from 50+ countries mean for us all in the city of Toronto?

The Marathon movement has become a global tidal wave perhaps because it has come to mean so many hugely-important things to so many people in every corner of the world. And running a 42.195 kilometre footrace — the equivalent of running from Nathan Phillips Square to Oakville — is a huge, extraordinary, yet attainable achievement that “ordinary” folks can accomplish with great determination, dedication and courage — the spirit of the marathon that is embodied in a flame and 6 olive wreaths.

According to Running Room Founder and veteran of more than 60 marathons, John Stanton:

The Marathon Flame's arrival in Canada represents the uniting of runners in a common goal, of running the marathon. As the world faces many conflicts and economic issues, the marathon builds a sense of community during a time our world needs more community.

Phidippides was truly a team player and his gasping pronouncement of “rejoice, we have won” was a tribute to a battle won and more importantly to all of us, winning at life.

And to Greek Consul General in Toronto, Dimitris Azemopoulos,

This celebration of the Legend of the Battle of Marathon is an extremely significant one. Especially for the 250,000 Greek Canadians living in the Greater Toronto Area, as it spreads the ideals of world peace, fair competition and the promotion of sports as a way of life. It also serves as a catalyst for the Greek community to share the richness of Greek history and civilization with all Canadians.

Consul Dimitris Azemopoulos and Toronto City Council invite everyone to join them for the weekend-long festivities at STWM2011 and make the Spirit and Values of The Marathon truly come alive in Canada.

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SCHEDULE of EVENTS

Friday, October 14th. Marathon Flame TORCH RELAY. Kew Gardens to Exhibition Place.

8:00am to 10:15am. Torch Relay from “Alex Christie” Bandshell, Kew Gardens, The Beach to the Direct Energy Centre [DEC]. Beach Councillor Mary Margaret McMahon, former-Councillor Paul Christie [son of Alex], a modern-day Pheidippides, and the Mayor of Marathon will ceremonially light the Torch. Pheidippides and the other Relay Runners, accompanied by school children, will then carry the Torch in approximately 500m to 1km stages — south out of Kew onto the Goodman Train, then all the way along the Trail, across Queen's Quay & Harbourfront, to the Exhibition grounds at the Princes' Gates and the Direct Energy Centre (approximately 12km). Torch bearers include John Stanton, OBE, Canadian Women's Marathon Record-holder Silvia Ruegger, and Councillors Karen Stintz, Mike Layton, Michelle Berardinetti, and Mary Fregadakis.

10:15am to 10:30am. Marathon Flame lighting Ceremony, DEC, Exhibition Place, with Greek Consul General in Toronto, Dimitris Azemopoulos, and other dignitaries for the Flame Lighting in a specially made cauldron. An elaborate Flame Lighting Ceremony has been created by Nancy Athan-Mylonas, Artistic Director of the Greek Community of Toronto and members of the community throughout the GTA, that will last until 10:30am.

10:35am to 11:00am. Press Conference, Main stage in the Expo, Exhibit Hall D, DEC. Expo opens to the public (free), and Flame burns until 6pm Saturday evening, 15th.

Saturday, October 15th

9:00am. International Friendship Run. An easy jog of approximately 3 kilometres with John Stanton and Roger Robinson from the Commerce Court Running Room, Wellington just west of Yonge.

10:00am to 6:00pm. Expo open at DEC.

6:00pm. The Marathon Flame and cauldron will be moved on Saturday night to the Finish Area at Bay & King Streets, Downtown in preparation for Sunday's Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon races.

Sunday, October 16th — Race Day

8:50am. National anthems of Greece and Canada to be sung before the Start, at the Start line, University Avenue at Queen Street, in front of The Four Season's Performing Arts Centre.

9:00am. Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon & Half marathon START on University at Queen (click here for course map).

10:05am approx. Half marathon winners cross finish line on Bay, just south of King.

10:30am to 2:00pm. Join Consul Azemopoulos and the Greek Communities of Toronto, Missisauga and Markham, plus Hellenic Hope Centre, at GREEK TOWN Neighbourhood Cheering & Entertainment Centre at 39km mark on the Course, Eastern Avenue at Broadview for a free mini-festival of Greek music, dancing, refreshments, children's games and fun! Celebrate in Greek style and cheer on all the marathon runners, while helping raise funds for 4 community charities.

11:07am to 11:30am approx. Marathon winners cross the Finish line on Bay St. Possible fastest-marathon times ever run on Canadian soil for Men & Women, Canadian national record and London 2012 marathon qualifying attempts by Canada's Reid Coolsaet, Eric Gillis, Dylan Wykes, Simon Bairu, Rob Watson & Matt Loiselle. Presentation of Laurel Wreaths to Champions at the Finish line.

10:30am to 3:00pm. Greek and other music and entertainment on the Main Stage in Arundel Park opposite Scotia Plaza, between Adelaide & Temperance Streets.

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