Marathon and Alcatraz

Yesterday, the Boston Marathon was completed by thousands of runners.

As I watched the news that night, I could not resist wondering if the Marathon run has been more than a run before. And I realized that I did not know enough about its history. So, late at night, I searched for details.

I knew about Ionia and how the Greeks found the Persian rule oppressive and revolted. I did not know that this marked the start of wars between Persia and Mainland Greece (492-449 B.C.) The battle of Marathon, in 490 B.C. was part of those wars and, like the Boston Marathon of 2014 it was more than a war. It was a statement that a smaller number of solders can win against the mighty Persian army, and, that a single man, Pheidippides, can run the 40,000 or so meters to alert Athenians about the battle.

But since then, how has the Marathon Run been affected by social and cultural events?

Spyridon “Spyros” Louis won the first modern-day marathon at the 1896 Summer Olympics. He was from Marousi, outside of Athens, and a water carrier. Indeed, Louis's father sold mineral water in Athens, at the time lacking a central water supply, and Spyros helped him by transporting it.

A great story! But there was one more event that made me think about the social influences affecting historical traditions. As I was inquiring about the history of the exact running distance, I found that at the 1908 Olympic Games in London, the marathon distance was changed to 26 miles to cover the ground from Windsor Castle to White City stadium, with 385 yards added on so the race could finish in front of King Edward VII's royal box.  Ha! My first reaction was “Why not move the Royal Box?” Then I wondered when the present-day distance (26.2 miles) was established and found out that it was at the 1924 Olympics in Paris.

… While reading about the Persian wars, a Greek word kept on reappearing in various texts. It was the work ἐλευθερία (elutheria) which means freedom. I knew the word as it is often used in the Classics. In fact it was even mentioned that the Marathon Battle stopped the Persian Army from marching over to Europe, and that indirectly, gave that continent the freedom to become what we now know as Europe.

And again I thought about King Edward VII's royal box…. Interestingly, ἐλευθερία is a feminine noun in Greek. In fact, in Ancient Greece, Eleutheria was also an epithet for the goddess Artemis, and as such she was worshipped in Myra of Lycia.  Now, I was thinking about the famous painting by Eugene Delacroix where a woman was carrying the flag of liberty. And then about the Statue of Liberty.  

… It was past midnight and my mind was playing with all these concepts and historical facts. Why, all I wanted to learn was about the history of the Marathon run. But I was now reading about Europe’s blossoming away from invasions and wars, and I was thinking about elutheria. And somehow, the isolation from wars triggered in my mind the reverse idea of isolation from freedom. As I was wondering about examples of the latter concept, a trip I made a few years back came to mind. It was my first and only trip to Alcatraz Island during a trip to San Francisco.

The infamous prison is now a tourist attraction, a testimonial of times past but also of human reaction. The Alcatraz Island was the ultimate isolation from freedom, of course for those who had encroached upon the freedom of others. I recall feeling cold there, on that very warm and sunny day.

… I had to find the negatives of pictures I took that day. It was some years ago but I do have a relatively organised system for cataloging my negatives. And after a few short minutes, I did find them.
I chose to print only one from that roll, as it seemed to follow the thoughts I had last night. It was a picture of Alcatraz before I embarked on the ferry to go there. A pelican was at the forefront, and a sailboat catching the winds in front of the island.

I smiled. The spirit of Robert Stroud, the famous "Birdman of Alcatraz” was in that picture, as well as the spirit of freedom. How did the prisoners react to the flight of birds, free to ride the winds? How did they react to the freedom of sailboats catching the wind around the island?

Not many of us know the answers. But a day ago, thousands of runners ran in Boston and they ran 26.2 miles. The finish line did not have King Edward’s Box as a reference point.

April 22, 2014

© Vahé Kazandjian