Some people suggested that we should start from the vicinity of the Turii military camp and run to the hot spring swamp, which not only has a very important commemorative significance (the Great Swamp Annihilation is the foundational battle of Dionia), but also gives full play to the ability of the Turii players (Turii runners participating in the marathon are all young soldiers of the First and Second Corps. They conduct military training near the Turii military camp all year round and are fully adapted to the terrain there).
It was also suggested that it should run from near the port of Turii to the inner city of Turii. The Kingdom of Dionia), but also in favor of the final award.
It is also suggested that the starting point of the long-distance running route should be near the port of Turii, and the end point should be at the foot of Mount Amendolara, which is also of great commemorative significance. After all, King Davos led his army to land in Great Greece from the port of Turii. , the first is to gain a firm foothold in Amendolara, and this route is conducive to the performance of all competitors.
After repeated consideration by the preparatory team led by Clotokatax, the third suggestion was finally adopted. The main reason is that this route is flat and open, which can help all the runners to complete the race smoothly. After all, the marathon is the first time. If the competition is too difficult, many players will not be able to complete it, which is not conducive to future promotion.
Since the games started, the marathon has always attracted the attention of the people of Dionia and foreign tourists, and like the boat race, it is impossible to collect tickets due to the wide range of the race. The people nearby, including tourists, rushed to both sides of the track one after another, and surrounded the road from the port of Turii to the foot of Mount Amendolara. In order to prevent the game from being disturbed, Clotokatax even transferred the army to maintain the order of the game.
The audience was huge, and the lineup of contestants was equally huge. After the Dionysian Games preparatory group announced the creation of the marathon two years ago, there is a saying that gradually spread in the Greek world, "Athletes who can run the full marathon are considered real athletes." Under the influence of such public opinion, more than 200 players signed up for this project.
No qualifiers, no semi-finals, just one game.
After the high-pitched start whistle blew, the runners rushed to the track in a rush, and slowly ran towards the finish line with the cheers of the audience.
At the end of the long-distance race, there was also a huge crowd. Considering that the thoughtful preparation team for the Games set up a VIP seat on a nearby hill, so that they could overlook the last stage of the race from a high position. Now the representatives of various regions of the kingdom and city-states are sitting in their seats one after another. to the VIP seat.
Pelopidas found his seat, only to find that next to him was the Athenian messenger, and immediately said with a smile: "General Callistratus, congratulations, congratulations to you Athens for obtaining the victory in Dionia. A sports leader!"
"It's only temporary." Callistratus waved his hand modestly: "The games are not over yet, everything is hard to say. Besides, we all understand that the so-called first and second are meaningless, Dionia. The sum of the points obtained by each region is far more than the sum of all our city-states combined, and Dionia is just using its regions to compare with our entire city-state."
"So what, since Dionysus chooses to use this method to compare the competitive ability of each city-state, he must be convinced if he loses." Penopidas said confidently: "What's more, Dioni The Yaturii region surpasses our city-state in terms of population, land area, and prosperity, so being able to win is a manifestation of strength.”
"What you said also makes sense." Callistratus seemed to respond perfunctorily, but in fact he thought so: Today Athens is far behind in terms of military strength, population, land area, and trade level. In Turii, but at least Athens still has an advantage in sports.
"Listening to the two of you, it seems that the first place has been secured. But let me tell you, we Arcadia and Athens are only two points apart. Maybe when the marathon is over, Arcadia will be able to overtake, because We have several long-distance runners." It was Lucomedes who suddenly interjected.
The preparatory team arranged for the city-state envoys who were at the top of the medal list to sit together, which was really well-intentioned.
"If you want to talk about long-distance runners, we also have several in the Pioxia League. Among them, Pantacris also won the championship in the previous 3-kilometer long-distance race. This time, they also signed up for the marathon. The final champion must belong to He!" Peropidas said quite contentedly, congratulating Callistratus just now, but now he showed a proud look of grabbing the first place in the medal list.
"Can a 3,000-meter race be compared to a marathon? That's an ultra-long distance of nearly ten miles!" Calistratus, who had been modest just now, said, not to be outdone, "The reason why the Dionian Games was There is this competition, it is because of the splendid Athens Marathon! We have more than 15 runners who signed up for the competition. For more than a year, they have been training every day to bring back the glory that should belong to Athens. Athens!"
"You think too much, Callistratus." Lucomedes sneered: "Although the marathon is indeed started in Athens, can today's Athens runners get a good place in this competition? I'm not optimistic. Marathon running requires not only plenty of physical strength, but also a strong will to run such a long distance. Can Athenians who are accustomed to enjoying themselves endure this kind of hardship? I feel very Enough! But we Arcadians, who trek between the mountains every day, are more able to bear hardships and stand hard work.”
"The one who can bear hardships and stand hard the most is the farmer. Do you mean that as long as you send a farmer, you can win the championship of this event?!"
…
Ipamironda watched as these three arguably the most powerful figures in the native Greek city-state were arguing over whether their city-state could finally win the games standings, and couldn't help but sigh inwardly: Think about it. At the opening ceremony of the games, they all looked relaxed, full of curiosity, but also with a bit of a joke mentality, and now they have completely fallen into it. Not only them, look at the other city-state messengers around, the same is true. The Dionysians, though it was their first games, should have been as successful as anything else they did.
Ipamironda thought to himself and said, "You don't have to fight, I think the champion of this marathon is likely to be won by Dionysian runners."
"Why?" Pelopidas knew that his close friend was usually reticent to talk, but every time he spoke, he had to hold it.
Ipamironda said seriously: "From what I know about the Dionysian army, the Diorian Holy Kingdom conducts long-term military training for its citizens year after year, and an important part of the training program is armed Long-distance running, a long-distance running training of more than 5 miles is carried out almost every 7 days, so the Dionysian army marches very fast in the war, and it can continue to fight. This characteristic is reflected in all of them.”
Callistratus, Pelopidas, and Lycomedes, you look at me, I look at you, and suddenly stopped talking.
Although Ipamironda was right, Callistratus and the others were still lucky. After more than an hour of waiting, the contestants finally appeared in their field of vision, but let them stare at them. With big eyes and concentrated attention, there was no familiar figure among the runners who ran at the front. Instead, the audience on both sides of the track cheered and even shouted the names of the runners in unison.
Callistratus and the others were suddenly frustrated, because the vast majority of the Dionysian audience could make such a move, and the few runners in front could only be Dionysians, or even most likely. Turi people.
Their inference is correct. The first few runners are from the Turii area, and the runner in the leading position is named Alsinis. At this moment, after running for a long time, not only does he not feel Fatigue, but more and more excited.
Compared with the immaturity of 5 years ago, the current Alsinis has served as the main force in the First Army, and was promoted to sub-captain at the beginning of the year. He also married the daughter of a military veteran. This year is for him. It was a year of great joy, and two days later was his biological father's death. He decided to win the marathon and then sacrificed this honor to his biological father's tomb to pay tribute to the father who died in battle before he was born. : The boy has grown into an indomitable man, and he can rest assured in the Elysee Paradise!
Today's weather is rare and cool, the sea breeze mixed with moisture blowing on his face, listening to the audience shouting his name with the same name as his biological father, his feet are getting bigger and faster...
… … … … … … … … … …
The top three places in the marathon were finally won by Dionysian runners, and these three runners were all from Dionysian I and II Corps, which made the Dionysian Turii area's games points surpass Athens in one fell swoop , won the first place in the standings.
This made the expectations of Callistratus and others frustrated, and also made other city-state messengers feel relieved. After all, they have been influenced by the powerful national power of Dionia in the past few years. It is normal for them to have this idea: It is a matter of course that Aonia won the first place in the Games, so why should Athens weigh us down