I did not die, like Pheidippides did, but yesterday I could understand why the Greek soldier&Messenger died 2,500 years ago, when he ran from Marathon to Athens to announce victory over the Persians.

The route of this race is very hard, talking in terms of Urban Marathon. Leaving the plains from the stadium of Marathon, the route to the center of the capital is linear, with constant up going track, quite soft in theory, but a rather high accumulate after all.

All runners know that coming here is only a matter of symbolism, as neither the route is too good, nor allowed to do too good personal time.

I completed the 42.195 km in 3 hours, 15 minutes and 8 seconds. And I assure you that I ran like a madman. Without wanting to show off, I will say that I’m sure that I would have to be between 3h05 and 3h10 on a flatter marathon. Last year I did my first marathon of asphalt in Madrid with a time of 3h12, and ran with much less power and good path here. I am very happy from my time in Athens, and I have it clear that the next marathon, I will want to prove that what I said is possible, trying to go under the 3h10 …. And do it in my way: Without training for the marathon, and only taking advantage of the volume of training provided to me from other close races, as it was, in this case, the Jungle Marathon.

My friend Jordi Vila also ended, although he was more choked with slopes of this land, crossing the line in 3h49’36 ". He took this race as part of a training for ultra running that has to do for his first participation in the "Marathon des Sables, at which we will share team next month of April.

Anyway, even though the track was hard and quite ugly, it must also be said that entering the "Panathinaikon Stadium" of downtown Athens, right next to the Acropolis, after completing the full marathon in their original route, is an experience that has to be lived at least once in live every runner.  And being able to do it just the year that marks the 2,500 th anniversary of the legend, will be a memory for my entire our lives.