After a 490 B.C. battle for democracy, Phidippides announced the victory by running 24 miles from the Greek village of Marathon to Athens. The run is commemorated by the modern marathon, with the Athens Classic Marathon following the original course.
Al Medina Jr. ’92 ran the event in 2008, finishing in 4 hours and 37 minutes. “Running into the Panathinaiko Stadium at the end was an emotional high I cannot describe,” said Medina, who resides in Germany. An international business major, Medina plans to enter the race again 2010, which will be the 2,500th anniversay of Phidippides’ journey.
The story is available on page 33 of the Spring 2009 Alumni Magazine http://www.cob.ilstu.edu/images/blog//IllinoisState-AlumniMagazine-vol9no4.pdf.
