Keeping with my recent trend of showcasing different forms of writing, such as medical writing or public service announcements, this blog post shares an example of travel writing. I originally wrote the example I’m sharing for a client, but before I could submit it to him, he decided he no longer wanted to keep a blog. That means I can post it here instead. But first, what is travel writing?
As Tim Youngs has explained in the Cambridge Introduction to Travel Writing, travel writing is a hard-to-define genre. It’s a broad category of writing that encompasses many different forms. However, as he has asserted, it can be said to hold universal appeal, because most of us travel from our homes on a regular basis.
I agree with this claim, especially if we define travel as not needing to be extravagant to qualify as traveling. For example, traveling can be just going to the local pharmacy, or to the grocery store, or to the mailbox at the end of our driveway, or to the dining room in our assisted living facility. And those of us not able to do those things have likely done them in the past or traveled farther afield at some point in our lives.
When it comes to writing about travel, MasterClass, a streaming service providing educational classes on a wide variety of subjects taught by some of the leading practitioners in their fields, has defined five categories of travel writing: travel journalism, travel blogging, travel guides, travel memoirs, and travelogue. The example of travel writing I’m sharing here can be considered a hybrid of a travel guide and a travel blog, as it guides readers through a particular travel experience and it does so in a blog format. Let me know what you think of it!
The Utmost in Marathon History: The Athens Authentic Marathon
There’s a group of runners for whom running the typical marathon is not enough. Instead, they crave the experience of running in historic locales. For runners like this, combining a love for history and a love for running results in some spectacular adventures. One of these adventures could be running in the Athens Authentic Marathon. Read on to learn all about this fantastic race.
The History of Marathons in Athens
As most marathon runners know, the modern marathon traces its roots to ancient Athens, Greece. There, the organizers of the Athens Authentic Marathon tell us, a soldier arrived in 490 BC to utter his last words informing the public of the victory of the Greeks against the Persians in the Battle of Marathon. He had run all the way from Marathon to Athens to spread the news.
Years later, as the Athens Authentic Marathon organizers continue their explanation, in 1896, the Olympic Games instituted the modern marathon, and a Greek runner, Spyros Louis, won the race from the city of Marathon to the city of Athens. The finish line was the Panathenaic Stadium. This stadium is located on the site of an ancient stadium where Greek athletes first competed in track events in about 330 BC.
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Athens, Panathenaic Stadium (Wikimedia Commons/Palickap) |
Logistics of the Athens Authentic Marathon
Today’s Athens Authentic Marathon is organized by the Hellenic Athletics Association and the Hellenic Olympic Committee, among others listed on the race’s homepage, and, as the race organizers attest, it traces the route of the original marathon. The race takes place between 9:00 am and 5:30 pm, with participants required to finish by then. Participants must be at least 18 years old to compete in the marathon.
The organizers explain that on the day of the race, transportation is provided via bus from several pick-up locations in Athens to the starting line in Marathon. Buses collect runners between 5:30 am and 6:45 am, after which runners must provide their own transportation. Anyone taking their own transportation to the starting line is advised that they must arrive by 8:00 am and that a lengthy walk from the parking area to the starting line is necessary.
Organizers further explain that all runners are provided a bag in which to place extra clothing and other personal items, and this bag will be transported from the starting line to the finish line for them. Toilets are available at the starting and finish lines, and during the race, runners are supported with nutrition stations, which consist of water, sports drinks, soda, energy gel, bananas, and energy bars. Medical services are also available, and an ambulance follows the final group of runners to the finish line. A bus also follows the last group of runners to pick up anyone who either can’t or don’t choose to finish the race and bring them to the finish line.
The Race Course
As described by the race organizers, after beginning in the city of Marathon, the Athens Authentic Marathon passes through several neighborhoods before ending in Athens. The course has steep uphills, steep downhills, gently sloping portions, and flat sections as well. After beginning with a gentle downhill slope and a flat section, runners encounter the steeper uphills and downhills, finishing with a downhill to the finish line inside Panathenaic Stadium.
Other Events
In addition to the full marathon, the Athens Authentic Marathon offers a 10K race, a 5K race, and a 1.2 K kids’ race, all of which are described in detail on the event’s official website. To participate in the 10K, which is held from 5:00 pm to 6:45 pm, runners must be at least 12 years old. This race is restricted to the city of Athens, but, like the full marathon, it ends inside Panathenaic Stadium.
The 5K race also requires runners to be at least 12 years old, but this race is held from 8:30 am to 10:00 am. This race, like the 10K, is limited to the streets of Athens. As with the other races, it ends inside Panathenaic Stadium.
Finally, the kids’ race is restricted to elementary school students enrolled in fourth, fifth, or sixth grade. This race begins at 10:15 am. After running on a few streets of Athens, the racers finish inside Panathenaic Stadium, like all the other races.
After the Race
After completing the Athens Authentic Marathon, participants will likely want to take care of some immediate physical needs. These might include taking an ice bath or getting some rest. Steps such as these are important to ensure a full recovery after exerting yourself.
After you have attended to your physical needs, you might want to
take advantage of your location in the city of Athens and do some sightseeing.
The Greek National
Tourism Association lists a few places you might want to see. These
include, in addition to the Panathenaic Stadium, the Temple of Olympian Zeus,
the Ancient Theatre of Dionysos, the sacred rock of the Acropolis, and the
Parthenon temple. While sightseeing, you can reflect on the fact that you are
walking where many famous philosophers and literary figures once walked, such
as Plato, Socrates, Pericles, Euripides, Sophocles, and Aeschylus.