Santa Barbara AHEPA Chapter 243

-----Press Release-----
The Course
Ancient Greece (490BC) to Modern Santa Barbara (2009)
2499 years of Marathon Tradition

This Sunday Dec 6th, 2009, the First Santa Barbara International Marathon is the big event. More than three thousand (3000) runners are expected to participate in this race. Running along a striking backdrop of the mountains and sea, this race is just like the original Marathon course 2,499 years ago in Ancient Greece.

The Marathon stands out because it was born by an actual historic and heroic event. The Marathon was a feat accomplished by a news-bearing foot soldier from ancient Athens, by the name of Pheidippides, who announced - with his last breath, “VICTORY” - the victory of the Greeks against the Persians in the battle of Marathon 490BC.

The 26.2 mile Marathon Race became one of the most competitive events when the Olympic Games were revived in 1896. A Greek athlete by the name of Spyros Louis, running what has since been referred to as the 'Original Course' from the ancient city of Marathon to Athens, won the gold medal that year and became a legend of Greek and international athletics.

Twelve (12) young Greek-Americans, will participate in the First Santa Barbara International Marathon, are sponsored by the local Santa Barbara AHEPA chapter. The AHEPA team runners will be easily distinguished by wearing white and navy colored T-shirts with the AHEPA logo on the front and map of the world, highlighting the Marathon’s route from Greece to California on the back.

American Hellenic Educational Progressive Association (AHEPA) is Americas largest Greek heritage organization that promotes Hellenism, Education, Philanthropy and Civic Responsibility, while also supporting charities, causes, and local communities.

This year the Santa Barbara AHEPA chapter will have a booth at the Marathon ’s EXPO on Saturday Dec 5t h from 9am to 6pm at the Santa Barbara City College Sports Pavillion and on Sunday Dec 6th at the marathon’s finish line (Santa Barbara City College La Playa Stadium - track area), highlighting the Marathon’s Greek Heritage and the values of Olympic ideals to our community, such the need for world peace, the power of human mind, will and adopting sports as an a way of living and thinking.

If you plan to go to these places walk by the AHEPA booth and let the Greeks inform you about the race that attracts the interest of runners all over the world. They know better….


Contact info:
Panos Mitroulias 937 830-9013 Alex Chuchas 916 206-3709
p_mitroulias@yahoo.gr ajchuchas@gmail.com

-------30------