The famous Marathon race has its roots back to an ancient Greek legend, where a Greek herald named Phidippides, ran 26 miles from Marathon to Athens to announce the Greek victory against the Persians at the battle of Marathon, a small village back then, but with a great historic value to modern times. The marathon race is very popular in Greece, as a symbol of the revival of the Olympic Games, also because the first gold-medal athlete in the marathon race in 1896 was the Greek, Spyros Louis. The marathon route at the 2004 Olympic Games will be identical to the original one run by Phidippides during the ancient years and by Spyros Louis at the 1896 Olympic Games. Its starting point will be in Marathon, called the Marathon start and the finishing line at the Panathinaikon Stadium - the famous Marble Stadium known as "Kallimarmaro" where the Games were revived in 1896. The Ministry of Environment, Public Welfare and Public Works is responsible for several overlays that will take place to meet Olympic requirements.
A "Kallimarmaróként" ismert Panathinaiko-stadionban rendezték 1896-ban az első modern kori olimpiai játékokat. A létesítmény Athén szívében található, és épp az első olimpia előtt 1895-ben újították fel. A 2004-es athéni játékok alkalmából "kicsinosított" aréna a maratonfutás befutóján 34 500 fő, az íjászat küzdelmei alatt pedig 7 500 fő számára biztosítja a helyszíni szurkolást.
