Greek runner Kostas Gelauzos won the 38th Athens Marathon on Sunday, running 42 kilometers 195 meters in 2 hours 16 minutes 49 seconds, ahead of his rivals. The race resumed this year after a hiatus in 2020 due to the pandemic.
The Greek athlete has broken a 17-year national record. After the finish and a few sips of water, Kostas Gelauzos, smiling broadly, raised the Panathinaikos flag.
ΓΚΕΛΑΟΥΖΟΣ
ΝΕΟ ΡΕΚΟΡ με 2: 16.49 …
Σερι 17 ετών εσπασε
?? ΠΑΝΑΘΗΝΑΪΚΟΣ☘ #AthensMarathon # γκελαουζος #paoao # παναθηναικος #panathinaikos pic.twitter.com/g2bejprXlm
– UPC13 (@upc_familia) November 14, 2021
9,558 runners from 83 countries were registered for the start of the Marathon, less than half of the record 20,041 runners in the previous race in 2019. At the same time, there is a noticeable lack of elite international athletes.
Gelauzos, 31, finished third in 2019. This time he set a personal best for this race, which is quite grueling due to the difficult hilly track.
The distance record, 2:10:34, belongs to Kenyan Felix Kipchirchir Kandy and was set in 2014. Since 2001, Kenyan runners have won the race 16 times.
38th #authentic #marathon took place in #Athens today. It was a vibrant #celebration & amp; our # 5krun was an amazing experience ???
5k race kick off at 8am, we passed the start line at 8:14 on Queen Amalias Av. #AthensMarathon # iAMAuthentic pic.twitter.com/1t4KN0lcHJ& mdash ; Chara Kontaxi (@Chara_Kontaxi) 38th #authentic #marathon took place in #Athens today. It was a vibrant #celebration & our # 5krun was an amazing experience 💪🏻😊
5k race kicked off at 8am, we passed the start line at 8:14 on Queen Amalias Av. #AthensMarathon #iAMAuthentic pic.twitter.com/1t4KN0lcHJ– Chara Kontaxi (@Chara_Kontaxi) November 14, 2021
14, 2021
The second place was taken by Panagiotis Burikas, who was more than five minutes behind Gelauzo with a result of 2:22:33. It is followed by Charalambos Pitsolis with a score of 2:24:05.
Greek Gloria-Tsiovana Privilegio won the women’s race in 2:41:30, almost seven minutes ahead of her closest rival. Overall, she was 23rd.
The race starts near the battlefield where the Athenians and their allies defeated a much larger Persian army in 490 BC. Legend has it that the messenger who fled to Athens to declare victory died on arrival.
#AthensMarathon (φωτό Marios Lolos) pic.twitter.com/S0uiiQ3ily
& mdash; Haris Haris (@Taxideutis) #AthensMarathon (φωτό Marios Lolos) pic.twitter.com/S0uiiQ3ily
– Haris Haris (@Taxideutis) November 14, 2021
14, 2021
On Sunday, there were also smaller races. Participants in small and long races took pride in their accomplishments, and some were proud of their running for a good cause.
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