Kenya’s John Kipkorir Komen on Sunday won the men’s 37th Athens Classic Marathon in a time of two hours, 16 minutes and 34 seconds.
Komen finished the race ahead of Rwanda’s Felicien Muhitira and Greece’s Konstantinos Gkelaouzos, who came in second and third in 2:16.43 and 2:19.02 respectively.
Muhitira, 25, was unlucky to lose having led the race from the start only to be passed by 42-year-old Komen with about 600 metres left to the finish line.
In the women’s event Greek Eleftheria Petroulaki won the race clocking 2:45.50.
About 20,000 people from all over the world participated in the authentic marathon. It started close to the tomb of the Athenian soldiers from the Battle of Marathon in 490 BC and ended in the Panathenaic Stadium in Athens.
It is regarded as one of the toughest major marathons inn the world.
Folklore has it that the route from Marathon to Athens, which is 42.195km, was initially run by an Athenian messenger named Pheidippides. He died of exhaustion after running to the city to announce the Greeks’ victory over the Persians in 490 BC.
