query: who won the marathon race in the 2004 athens olympics

pos: Athletics at the 2004 Summer Olympics – Men's marathon few tried to surge ahead but the most successful was Vanderlei De Lima's attack at 20k. Past 25k, Stefano Baldini raised the tempo taking seven others with him. Finally, the chase group had been whittled down to three: Stefano Baldini, Paul Tergat, and Mebrahtom Keflezighi. After 35k was passed, Tergat (the world record holder) cracked, leaving two runners to chase behind. Baldini then closed the gap to De Lima after the latter was attacked while dropping Keflezighi. Baldini moved into the lead and took it home for the gold medal in 2:10:55. Keflezighi caught the fading De Lima as well

pos: Marathon Spyridon "Spyros" Louis, coming in fifth at a second race two weeks later). The winner of the first Olympic marathon, on 10 April 1896 (a male-only race), was Spyridon Louis, a Greek water-carrier, in 2 hours 58 minutes and 50 seconds. The marathon of the 2004 Summer Olympics was run on the traditional route from Marathon to Athens, ending at Panathinaiko Stadium, the venue for the 1896 Summer Olympics. That men's marathon was won by Italian Stefano Baldini in 2 hours 10 minutes and 55 seconds, a record time for this route until the non-Olympics Athens Classic Marathon of 2014,

pos: Stefano Baldini disappointing 2007 season in which he did not complete the London Marathon, Baldini chose to run the New York City Marathon, finishing 4th. Baldini closed his Olympic career at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, finishing 12th. Baldini ended his career in October 2010, having originally planned a final race at the Giro al Sas but deciding against the race because of injury. He won 13 national championships. Stefano Baldini Stefano Baldini (born 25 May 1971 in Castelnovo di Sotto, Emilia-Romagna, Italy) is a retired Italian runner who specialized in the marathon. He was the Olympic champion in Athens and was twice

pos: Stefano Baldini Stefano Baldini Stefano Baldini (born 25 May 1971 in Castelnovo di Sotto, Emilia-Romagna, Italy) is a retired Italian runner who specialized in the marathon. He was the Olympic champion in Athens and was twice European champion (1998 and 2006). Baldini was also a world champion in the half marathon, taking the title in Palma de Mallorca in 1996. In the 2004 Summer Olympics, Baldini finished first in the men's marathon, winning a gold medal. He finished ahead of Brazilian Vanderlei Cordeiro de Lima, who was leading the marathon until being pushed off the course by protester Neil Horan. After a

neg: Athletics at the 2004 Summer Olympics – Women's marathon Athletics at the 2004 Summer Olympics – Women's marathon The women's marathon at the 2004 Summer Olympics took place on August 22 in the streets of Athens, Greece. These streets were recently painted for the event, which provided an excellent road surface for the athletes. Drawing upon the ancient origins of the race, the marathon began in Marathon, Greece, and eventually ended at Panathinaiko Stadium, the venue previously used for the 1896 Athens Olympics. The 26.2 mile journey began in Marathon and the race over the classic course began with temperatures exceeding 95 degrees (35 °C).The top contenders all found

neg: Athletics at the 2004 Summer Olympics – Men's marathon Athletics at the 2004 Summer Olympics – Men's marathon The men's marathon at the 2004 Summer Olympics took place on August 29 in the streets of Athens, Greece. These streets were recently painted for the event, which provided an excellent road surface for the athletes. Drawing upon the ancient origins of the race, the marathon began in Marathon, Greece, and eventually ended at Panathinaiko Stadium, the venue previously used for the 1896 Athens Olympics. The journey began in Marathon. The top contenders all found themselves in a large leading group that held a modest pace through the half marathon. A

neg: Athletics at the 1896 Summer Olympics – Men's marathon Athletics at the 1896 Summer Olympics – Men's marathon The men's marathon event was a special race invented as part of the Athletics at the 1896 Summer Olympics programme. Michel Bréal originated the idea of a race from the city of Marathon to Athens, taking inspiration from the legend of Pheidippides. The first such marathon race was a Greek national competition that served as a qualifier for the Olympic marathon, won by Charilaos Vasilakos. The length of the marathon in 1896 was approximately 40 km (25 mi). Twenty-five athletes traveled to Marathon for the race from there to Athens, though

neg: Athletics at the 2004 Summer Olympics – Men's marathon that had run the race in 2:15:00 or faster during the qualification period. If an NOC had no athletes that qualified under that standard, one athlete that had run the race in 2:18:00 or faster could be entered. Athletics at the 2004 Summer Olympics – Men's marathon The men's marathon at the 2004 Summer Olympics took place on August 29 in the streets of Athens, Greece. These streets were recently painted for the event, which provided an excellent road surface for the athletes. Drawing upon the ancient origins of the race, the marathon began in Marathon, Greece, and eventually ended

neg: Constantina Diță winner. As a child, Diță became interested in athletics and particularly admired Maricica Puică after seeing her win the 3000 metres gold at the 1984 Summer Olympics. Diță had her first successes at the 1999 European Cross Country Championships at which she won silver medals in the individual race and the team race with Romania. She began competing in the marathon and was tenth at the 2001 World Championships in Athletics. She ran in the Olympic marathon at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens (finishing twentieth) and went on to win the Chicago Marathon later that year, running a personal

neg: Marathons at the Olympics from the town of Marathon, Greece to carry the message of a Greek victory, the 1896 course began in the town of Marathon and finished in Athens' Panathenaic Stadium – a distance of around . On April 10, 1896, Greek water-carrier Spyridon Louis won the first Olympic marathon in 2 hours 58 minutes and 50 seconds. The route between Marathon and Panathenaic Stadium was repeated when Athens hosted the 2004 Games. The race distance varied from in the early editions as it was typically based upon the distance between two points that the organisers felt were suitable. The 1908 London

neg: Joachim Nshimirimana Joachim Nshimirimana Joachim Nshimirimana (born January 13, 1973) is a Burundian athlete who specialized in marathon and long-distance running. He represented Burundi at two Olympic games (2004 in Athens, and 2008 in Beijing). At age 31, Nshimirimana first competed at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, where he finished thirty-second and completed the run in the men's marathon, with a time of 2:19:31. At his second Olympics in Beijing, on the other hand, he finished the men's marathon, just 12 seconds behind Israel's Haile Satayin, with a time of 2:29:55. In 2006, Nshimirimana won his first championship title at the

neg: Jennifer Rhines track in 2002. She competed in the women's 10,000 meters race at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, and finished 16th with a time of 31:26.66. In the 2004 Athens Olympics, she competed in the women's marathon and finished the race in 34th place with a time of 2:43:52. Rhines qualified for the 2008 Olympic Games by placing second in the 5000 meters at the U.S. Olympic Trials. She finished 14th in the 5000m Beijing final with a time of 16:34.63. Rhines won the 2011 USA Half marathon title, with a time of 1:11:14 in Houston, TX. Jen is coached by her

neg: Simona Staicu 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. She registered an IAAF A-standard and a 2004 seasonal best of 2:36:46, following her victory at the Osaka Marathon in Japan. Staicu finished the race with a forty-fifth place time in 2:48:57 from a vast field of 83 marathon runners, just twelve seconds slower than her entry standard. Simona Staicu Simona Staicu (born 5 May 1971 in Băileşti, Romania) is a Romanian-born Hungarian long-distance and marathon runner. Transferring her allegiance from Romania in 2000 to compete internationally for Hungary, Staicu has won numerous titles in the half-marathon, and has attained a personal best of 2:29:59

neg: Inga Juodeškienė the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, where she competed in the women's 5000 metres. She ran outside her career best of 15:46.37 to obtain a twelfth spot in a field of seventeen athletes during the third heat, but failed to advance further into the final. At the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Juodeskiene qualified for her second Lithuanian squad in the women's marathon at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, by finishing third and registering an A-standard entry time of 2:31:30 from the Frankfurt Marathon. She finished the race with a sixty-third place time in 3:09:18 over a vast field

neg: Roy Daniell the Men's Marathon T13 event. He had an Australian Institute of Sport athletics scholarship from 2001 to 2002. At the 2004 Athens Games he won a silver medal in the men's marathon T13 event. In Sydney and Athens he ran without a race guide. He finished 13th in the men's marathon T12 at the 2008 Beijing Games with race guides Julien Wicks and Dennis Fitzgerald. He retired from competition after the 2008 games to spend more time with his family. Roy Daniell Roy Daniell (born 11 April 1965) is an Australian runner with a vision impairment, who has won two

neg: Monika Drybulska 2:32:39. Monika Drybulska Monika Mariola Drybulska (born May 15, 1980 in Wągrowiec) is a Polish marathon runner. She set her personal best time of 2:29:57 at the 2003 Berlin Marathon. Drybulska also competed in the women's marathon at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, but did not finish the race. At the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, Drybulska made her second appearance in the women's marathon, along with her compatriot Dorota Gruca. Unlike her previous Olympics, Drybulska successfully finished the race in twenty-fourth place by one second behind world-record holder Paula Radcliffe of Great Britain, with her seasonal best time

neg: Monika Drybulska Monika Drybulska Monika Mariola Drybulska (born May 15, 1980 in Wągrowiec) is a Polish marathon runner. She set her personal best time of 2:29:57 at the 2003 Berlin Marathon. Drybulska also competed in the women's marathon at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, but did not finish the race. At the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, Drybulska made her second appearance in the women's marathon, along with her compatriot Dorota Gruca. Unlike her previous Olympics, Drybulska successfully finished the race in twenty-fourth place by one second behind world-record holder Paula Radcliffe of Great Britain, with her seasonal best time of

neg: Getuli Bayo the course. Getuli Bayo Getuli Amnaay Bayo (born June 27, 1980) is a Tanzanian marathon runner. He set his personal best time of 2:10:45, by finishing third at the 2005 Zurich Marathon. He is also the brother of Zebedayo Bayo, who competed for the same event at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, and at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. At age twenty-eight, Bayo made his official debut for the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, where he competed in the men's marathon, along with his compatriot Samson Ramadhani. He did not finish the entire race, before reaching the halfway

neg: Getuli Bayo Getuli Bayo Getuli Amnaay Bayo (born June 27, 1980) is a Tanzanian marathon runner. He set his personal best time of 2:10:45, by finishing third at the 2005 Zurich Marathon. He is also the brother of Zebedayo Bayo, who competed for the same event at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, and at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. At age twenty-eight, Bayo made his official debut for the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, where he competed in the men's marathon, along with his compatriot Samson Ramadhani. He did not finish the entire race, before reaching the halfway mark of

neg: Raymond Kimutai Bett the 2004 Athens Olympics. He did not compete in 2011 but returned in 2012 with his sights back on the Athens race, training on hills to improve his technique. After a runner-up finish at the Lens Marathon in France, his hill work paid off at the Athens Marathon as he ran the difficult second half of the marathon faster than the first, going on to break the race record with a run of 2:11:35 hours. This was still off Baldini's mark, but again he vowed to return and try again. Bett's victory made him the first non-Greek man to win

neg: Caroline Chepkwony She has a 10K best of 32:32 minutes, a half marathon best of 68:36 minutes and a marathon best of 2:30:34 hours. Born in Mosoriot in Kenya's Nandi District, Chepkwony's first success came at the 2001 African Junior Athletics Championships, where she was she silver medallist in the 5000 metres behind Vivian Cheruiyot. In 2004, she was second in the 800 metres at both the Kenyan Athletics Championships and the Olympic trial race. She did not have the qualifying time to attend the 2004 Athens Olympics, but was selected for the 2004 African Championships in Athletics and won the bronze

neg: Erick Wainaina having taken the title in both 1995 and 2002. He has won the Hokkaido Marathon on three separate occasions and he also won the 2003 edition of the Nagano Marathon. He finished 13th at the 2008 Nagano Marathon. Two years later he participated in the Nagano Marathon again, finishing 10th. Erick Wainaina Erick Wainaina (born December 19, 1973 in Nyahururu) is a Kenyan marathon runner, who won an Olympic bronze medal in 1996 and a silver medal in 2000. He finished seventh in the 2004 Summer Olympics marathon in Athens, making him one of the few athletes in Olympic history

neg: Mariela González Mariela González Mariela González Torres (born 5 April 1974) is a female marathon runner from Cuba, who won the gold medal in the women's marathon at the 2007 Pan American Games. She represented her native country at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece, finishing in 59th place. She won the 2000 edition of the Havana International Marathon and went on to take the half marathon gold medal at the 2001 Central American and Caribbean Championships in Athletics. She won the Madrid Marathon twice consecutively in 2001 and 2002. She took the silver medal in the marathon at the 2003

neg: Christie Dawes where she was awarded the 1996 Young Paralympian of the Year Award. Three years later, she won a bronze medal for the 10 km Peachtree Road Race. In 2000, she competed in the Sydney Paralympics. Next was the 2004 Paralympics in Athens Paralympics, where she competed in 800 m, 1500 m, and 5000 m races and the Marathon. She also competed in the 800 m wheelchair demonstration event at the 2004 Athens Olympics. She competed in the 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games, coming fifth in the Women's 800 m EAD T54 event. Dawes competed in the 2008 Summer Paralympics in Beijing,

neg: Marathon initiators and organizers were looking for a great popularizing event, recalling the glory of ancient Greece. The idea of a marathon race came from Michel Bréal, who wanted the event to feature in the first modern Olympic Games in 1896 in Athens. This idea was heavily supported by Pierre de Coubertin, the founder of the modern Olympics, as well as by the Greeks. The Greeks staged a selection race for the Olympic marathon on 22 March 1896 (Gregorian) that was won by Charilaos Vasilakos in 3 hours and 18 minutes (with the future winner of the introductory Olympic Games marathon,

neg: Alfredo Arévalo Alfredo Arévalo Alfredo Arévalo Reyes (born February 20, 1976 in Uspantán) is a Guatemalan marathon runner. In 2004, he achieved both his personal best and a national record-breaking time of 2:12:53 at the National Capital Marathon in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Arevalo made his official debut for the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, where he finished seventy-seventh in the men's marathon, outside his personal best of 2:34:02. At the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, Arevalo competed again for the second time in men's marathon, along with his compatriot José Amado García. He finished the race in sixty-third place by twelve seconds

neg: Mariela González Pan American Games, finishing behind Márcia Narloch of Brazil. She set a championship record of 2:36.51 at the second National Cuban Olympics. With the half marathon removed from the programme, she entered the 10,000 metres at the 2005 CAC Championships and was the runner-up behind compatriot Yudelkis Martínez. Mariela González Mariela González Torres (born 5 April 1974) is a female marathon runner from Cuba, who won the gold medal in the women's marathon at the 2007 Pan American Games. She represented her native country at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece, finishing in 59th place. She won the 2000

neg: Joachim Nshimirimana Ljubljana Marathon, with his personal best time of 2:14:14. Joachim Nshimirimana Joachim Nshimirimana (born January 13, 1973) is a Burundian athlete who specialized in marathon and long-distance running. He represented Burundi at two Olympic games (2004 in Athens, and 2008 in Beijing). At age 31, Nshimirimana first competed at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, where he finished thirty-second and completed the run in the men's marathon, with a time of 2:19:31. At his second Olympics in Beijing, on the other hand, he finished the men's marathon, just 12 seconds behind Israel's Haile Satayin, with a time of 2:29:55. In

neg: Athens Classic Marathon over the Persians. The provenance of the competitive race is traced back to the Marathon race at the 1896 Olympics. The Athens Classic Marathon began in 1972 as a joint venture between the Greek tourist board and athletics association. The race came under the auspices of the current organisers and SEGAS in 1983 and has since become a major race, being awarded Gold Label Road Race status by the IAAF. The 1983 event was known as the Athens Peace Marathon and both a popular and elite level race featured for the first time that year. It is perhaps the most

neg: Viktor Röthlin Viktor Röthlin Viktor Röthlin (born October 14, 1974 in Kerns, Obwalden) is a Swiss former long-distance runner, who specialized in the marathon. Röthlin won the silver medal at the 2006 European Championships in Gothenburg, Sweden, the bronze medal at the 2007 World Championships in Osaka, Japan, and the gold medal at the 2010 European Championships in Barcelona, Spain. He also competed in the marathon at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Australia (finishing 36th), at the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Greece (where he did not finish), at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China (where he placed 6th in a time of

neg: Épiphanie Nyirabaramé Épiphanie Nyirabaramé Épiphanie Nyirabaramé (born December 15, 1981 in Butare) is a Rwandan athlete who specialized in marathon and long-distance running. She represented Rwanda at two Olympic games (2004 in Athens, and 2008 in Beijing). Nyirabaramé first competed at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, where she finished fifty-fourth and completed the run in the women's marathon, with a time of 2:52:50. At her second Olympics in Beijing, on the other hand, she finished the women's marathon, just seven seconds behind Slovakia's Zuzana Šaríková, with her best possible time of 2:49:32. Nyirabaramé achieved her personal best at the 2009 IAAF

neg: Petar Stoychev and oceans. Petar Stoychev has won 11 consecutive victories at the Traversée Internationale du Lac Memphrémagog in Magog, Canada (34 km) and at Lac Saint-Jean in Roberval, Canada (32 km). Also, he has won the Ohrid Lake, Macedonia swimming marathon 11 consecutive times (30 km). His swimming achievements include swimming around the Manhattan Island in 2010 and winning the extreme Cadiz Freedom Swim in 2011. In addition to his numerous achievements in marathon swimming, he has participated in four Olympics – 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, where he was the

neg: Mariana Diaz Ximenez qualify for the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Diaz was one of the two representatives of Timor-Leste at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. However, she did not finish the race. Mariana Diaz Ximenez Mariana Diaz Ximenez, (born December 13, 1983), is an East Timorese athlete who specialises in the marathon. A resident of Dili, she fled her home in 1999 after East Timor's declaration of independence from Indonesia, and the ensuing violence. When she returned to the capital, she "saw the Dili harbor filled with the bloated bodies of the dead". In 2001, Diaz won a gold medal in

neg: Kate Tenforde Olympic 10,000 m trials with a time of 32:07.25. This qualified her for the 2004 Summer Olympics. In Athens, she finished 21st with a time of 32:24.04. Tenforde later turned her focus to longer distance events, with an emphasis on the marathon. She was coached by Terrence Mahon, who coaches notable American marathoners Deena Kastor, Ryan Hall, and Jen Rhines. She had a strong marathon debut at the Chicago Marathon, finishing third with a time of 2:36:15. In January 2008, she won the 2008 USA half-marathon championship (1:11:57) at the Aramco Houston Half-Marathon. Tenforde was a favorite at the 2008

neg: Erick Wainaina Erick Wainaina Erick Wainaina (born December 19, 1973 in Nyahururu) is a Kenyan marathon runner, who won an Olympic bronze medal in 1996 and a silver medal in 2000. He finished seventh in the 2004 Summer Olympics marathon in Athens, making him one of the few athletes in Olympic history to finish in the top 10 at three separate marathons. Wainaina ran in the marathon at the 1995 World Championships and finished in 18th place. He missed the 1999 World Championships due to injury. Wainaina frequently competed in Japanese races: he is a two-time winner of the Tokyo International Marathon,

neg: Anna Pichrtová Anna Pichrtová Anna Pichrtová (born May 19, 1973 in Trenčín, Czechoslovakia) is a professional long distance runner. In 2004, she finished 28th in the Women's marathon at the Athens Olympics, and the following year placed 27th at the World Championships in Helsinki, as well as winning the inaugural edition of the Obudu Ranch International Mountain Race in Nigeria. She has also won the Mount Washington Road Race in New Hampshire six times, the Mount Kinabalu Climbathon in Malaysia five times, and in 2006 was victorious at the European Mountain Running Championships in Malé Svatoňovice, the Grand Prix, and the "Cinq

neg: Silvio Guerra Silvio Guerra Silvio Román Guerra Burbano (born September 18, 1968 in San Gabriel, Carchi) is a well-regarded Ecuadorian athlete and olympic participant. A member of "Concentración Deportiva de Pichincha" he represented Ecuador at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, United States, the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia and the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece. He also qualified for the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China. He has won many tournaments. He has held the Ecuadorian marathon record since 1997, 2:09:49. This was achieved at the Chicago Marathon. Guerra has won numerous medals at the South American Cross Country

neg: Mathias Ntawulikura Mathias Ntawulikura Mathias Ntawulikura (born 14 June 1964 in Gisovu/Kibuye) is a retired Rwandan long-distance runner. He reached the World Athletics Championships final and participated in the Olympic Games in the 5000 (1988) and 10000 metres (1992, 1996) and Marathon (2000, 2004). He also participated five times in the IAAF World Cross Country Championships. His best Olympic performance was 8th in the 10 000m at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, a race where the top eight positions were taken by (six) African countries. He was forty when he competed in the marathon at the 2004 Athens Olympics; of the hundred men

neg: Venues of the 2004 Summer Olympics it hosted for the 2004 Games, it opened in 2007. Markopoulo Shooting Centre has all but one of its sections turned over to the Hellenic Police. The Passport Office and Special Forces are scheduled to relocated there as well. Ano Liosia Arena was converted into an arts and entertainment facility after the Olympics. Venues of the 2004 Summer Olympics For the 2004 Summer Olympics, a total of thirty-five sports venues were used. Athens hosted the first modern Olympic Games in 1896 that included venues such as Panathinaiko Stadium and the city of Marathon for whom the long-distance race would be

neg: Sun Yingjie Sun Yingjie Sun Yingjie (; born January 19, 1979 in Sujiatun, Shenyang, Liaoning) is a Chinese female long-distance runner who competes in events ranging from 5000 metres to the marathon. She rose to prominence by winning two gold medals at the 2002 Asian Games. In 2003, she won a bronze medal in the 10,000 metres at the World Championships in Paris. She won two golds at the 2003 Asian Athletics Championships and won the Beijing Marathon in an Asian record time that year. She represented China at the 2004 Athens Olympics, reaching the top eight in the 5000 m and

neg: Günther Weidlinger championship finals over the following five years and represented Austria at the 2004 Athens Olympics, as well as the 2003 and 2005 World Championships. He began to focus on the 10,000 metres and road running in 2007. He won the silver at the 2007 European Cup 10000m and set a half marathon national record at the IAAF World Road Running Championships. Weidlinger won the 2008 Great Manchester Run in another national record time and ran in the 10,000 m at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. He made his marathon debut in 2009 and broke the 23-year-old Austrian record in the marathon

neg: Neil Horan run in front of the horses. He was later released without charges, although police did circulate information about Horan to other sporting events. In spite of the fact that security for the 2004 Athens Olympics was tight due to fears of a terrorist attack, on 29 August Horan (who had flown to Athens earlier that day) was able to run onto the course of the men's marathon event near the 35 km mark, carrying a placard on his back. Horan pushed Brazilian Vanderlei de Lima, who was leading the race, into the crowds alongside the course. After a few seconds

neg: Cape Verde at the 2000 Summer Olympics men who finished the race. The gold medal was won by Gezahegne Abera of Ethiopia in a time of 2 hours, 10 minutes and 11 seconds; silver was taken by Erick Wainaina of Kenya, and bronze was won by Tesfaye Tola, also of Ethiopia. Zeferino would go on to race the Olympic marathon again in the 2004 Summer Olympics, but Sydney was the highest finish and fastest race of his Olympic career. </small> Cape Verde at the 2000 Summer Olympics Cape Verde sent a delegation to compete at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia from 15 September to 1

neg: Mizuki Noguchi Championships in Athletics. Her good form continued and she became the Olympic champion in the marathon at the 2004 Athens Olympics. She won the Berlin Marathon the following year, setting world records at 25 km and 30 km along the way, and finishing with a personal best of 2:19:12 – a course record in Berlin and a new Asian record for the distance. The 25K world record was beaten by Mary Keitany of Kenya in 2010, who ran the distance in 1:19:53 hours. Before the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, Noguchi had set the second fastest time in the world

neg: Jaouad Gharib set a personal best of 2:07:02 despite slipping and banging his head mid-race. He competed at his first Olympics at the 2004 Athens Games but failed to match his previous global form and finished in eleventh place in the men's marathon. A groin injury in the run-up to the competition and Gharib reflected that he had pushed himself too much in training during the two weeks before the race. He repeated his approach to the season in 2005 by starting at the Lisbon Half Marathon and he finished sixth on this occasion. He ran sub-2:08 at the London Marathon for

neg: Mizuki Noguchi manufacturer, in December. On 22 August 2004 Noguchi won the marathon in the 2004 Athens Olympics, against a field which included world record holder Paula Radcliffe of Great Britain, and the 2003 world champion Catherine Ndereba of Kenya. The race over the Classic course began with temperatures exceeding 95 degrees (35 °C). A leading pack of 12 stayed together through halfway in 1 hour 14 minutes. Noguchi made her move on the tough uphill section between the and marks. When she reached the 30-kilometer sign, after running the previous 5 kilometers in just under 17 minutes, she had a 26-second

neg: Félix Sánchez won the first ever Olympic gold medal for the Dominican Republic on August 28, 2004 during the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece. During his 43-race winning streak, from 2001 to 2004, Sánchez was known for wearing a wristband while competing. The red flashing wristband, a souvenir from the 2000 Olympics, served as a motivation for him after failing to advance to the final in Sydney. After winning the Olympic gold medal in Athens 2004, Sánchez gave the wristband to the IAAF for auction and the profits were donated to charity. In his first race after the Olympics – and

neg: Pavel Loskutov 2004. He also has won half-marathon at the 2008 Riga Marathon. He retired from competition in 2010. Pavel Loskutov Pavel Loskutov (born 2 December 1969 in Valka, Latvia) is a former Estonian long-distance runner who specialized in marathon races. He has competed in the Olympic marathon race four times consecutively, from the 1996 Atlanta Olympics to the 2008 Beijing Games. In 2001, he won the Göteborgsvarvet half marathon in Gothenburg with a time of 1:03:00. Loskutov finished as the runner-up of the Paris Marathon in 2002 and went on to win a silver medal later that year at the 2002

neg: Athletics at the 1896 Summer Olympics – Men's marathon than three hours. Vasilakos finished second, followed 30 seconds later by Spyridon Belokas and Gyula Kellner. Kellner subsequently lodged a protest claiming Belokas had covered part of the course by carriage after having supposedly dropped out of the race; the protest was upheld, and Belokas was disqualified. Athletics at the 1896 Summer Olympics – Men's marathon The men's marathon event was a special race invented as part of the Athletics at the 1896 Summer Olympics programme. Michel Bréal originated the idea of a race from the city of Marathon to Athens, taking inspiration from the legend of Pheidippides. The first

neg: Roman Kejžar stellar performance at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, when he finished fifty-fourth in the marathon for the second time, posting his best Olympic career time of 2:23:34. Eight years after competing in his first Olympics, Kejzar qualified for his third Slovenian team, as a 42-year-old, at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, by placing nineteenth and reaching an A-standard time of 2:17:26 from the 2007 Berlin Marathon. He successfully finished the race in sixty-seventh place by nine seconds behind Mexico's Francisco Bautista, with a time of 2:29:37. Roman Kejžar Roman Kejžar (born February 11, 1966 in Kranj) is a

neg: Dejene Berhanu Dejene Berhanu Dejene Berhanu (December 12, 1980 – August 29, 2010) was a male Ethiopian runner, who specialized in the 5000 metres. Berhanu finished 11th in the short race at the 2004 World Cross Country Championships and 5th in the 5000 at the Athens Olympics. He followed that up with a pair of strong finishes at the World Cross Country Championships the next year. Berhanu was 7th in the short race and 6th in the long race. He ran in the 5000 again at the World Championships at Helsinki, finishing 8th. In 2006, Berhanu turned to focus on the marathon.

neg: Venues of the 2004 Summer Olympics Venues of the 2004 Summer Olympics For the 2004 Summer Olympics, a total of thirty-five sports venues were used. Athens hosted the first modern Olympic Games in 1896 that included venues such as Panathinaiko Stadium and the city of Marathon for whom the long-distance race would be named for. From the end of the 1896 Games until the late 1970s, Greece underwent numerous political changes that included the Balkan Wars, two World Wars, a civil war, and a military coup that resulted in a junta that lasted from 1967 to 1974. A change in democracy in 1975 resulted in Greece's

neg: Kjersti Plätzer Kjersti Plätzer Kjersti Tysse Plätzer (born Tysse on January 18, 1972) is a Norwegian race walker, who won the silver medal at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, in the 20 kilometres race. She finished 12th in the same race in the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens and 4th in the 2007 World Championships in Osaka. At the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, she again won a silver medal in the 20 kilometres race. Born in Os, Hordaland, she is the older sister of Erik Tysse and is married to former German middle distance runner Stephan Plätzer, who is also

neg: Dulce María Rodríguez Mexico City Marathon later that year. She established a new best time of 1:11:36 hours for the half marathon at the 2004 Paris Half Marathon with her second-place performance. She made her second Olympic appearance at the 2004 Athens Olympics, taking part in the heats of the 5000 m. Rodríguez won at the Lala Marathon in April 2005, setting a course record time of 2:29:00 hours – her first run under two and a half hours. She set a personal best in the 10,000 metres the following month, running 31:25.33 minutes in Palo Alto, California. She was selected for both

neg: Michael Scarola Michael Scarola Michael "Mike" Scarola (born January 26, 1976 in Halifax, Nova Scotia) is a Canadian sprint canoer and marathon canoeist who competed in the early 2000s. He won a bronze medal in the C-2 1000 m event at the 2002 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships in Seville, Spain and also won a silver medal in C-2 (canoe doubles) at the ICF World Marathon Canoe Kayak Championships in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia in 2000. Mike also finished sixth in the C-2 1000 m event at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. Mike was a member of Canada's Senior National Sprint Canoe

neg: Chung Yun-hee a career best of 32:46.54 for the 10,000 metres, finishing in fifth place. At twenty years old she entered the 2003 JoongAng Seoul Marathon and came away with her first win in the event, setting a course record time of 2:30:50 which stood for four years. She won the Chunju-Kunsan International Marathon in April 2004 and earned selection for the national Olympic marathon team. At the 2004 Athens Olympics, she finished in 23rd place, the second South Korea past the line after her compatriot Lee Eun-jung. She disappeared from the international athletics scene in 2004 and only re-emerged in 2008.

neg: Vanderlei de Lima finish line after Alberto Juzdado. Just as in the cross country competitions, it was in regional competitions that he won his first marathon medals. He was the Pan American champion twice consecutively, running 2:17:20 at the 1999 Games and 2:19:08 for the second victory at the 2003 Games. He began the 2004 season well with a quick win (2:09:39) at the Hamburg Marathon. On 29 August 2004, at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, de Lima was attempting to become the first Brazilian to win an Olympic gold medal in the marathon. Soon after the mark, holding a lead of

neg: Marathon, Greece Marathon Dam in a valley above Marathon, in order to ensure water supply for Athens. It was completed in 1929. About 10 km² of forested land were flooded to form Lake Marathon. The beach of Schinias is located southeast of the town and it is a popular windsurfing spot and the Olympic Rowing Center for the 2004 Summer Olympics is also located there. At the 1896 and 2004 Summer Olympics, Marathon was the starting point of the marathon races (for both women and men in 2004). The area is susceptible to flash flooding, because of forest fires having denuded parts

neg: Jon Brown 1998 European Athletics Championships 10,000 m, two and a half seconds behind Germany's Stéphane Franke. Brown participated in the 1996 Atlanta Olympic 10,000 metres where he placed tenth (27:59.74). This was followed by the marathon at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, where he placed fourth, and also in the 2004 Athens Olympics, where he was again fourth in the marathon. In the former race he missed third place by seven seconds and in the latter by fifteen seconds. His personal best times for the 10K run (27:20 minutes) and the 15K run (42:39 minutes) are the fastest by any European runner,

neg: Matthew Pinsent for 2004. At the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Pinsent's fourth Olympic Games, Pinsent stroked the boat, with Cracknell, Ed Coode and Steve Williams. In a close race with world champions Canada, they again won gold. Pinsent was elected to the International Olympic Committee's Athletes' Commission in 2001, replacing Jan Železný. In 2004, at the Athens Olympics, Pinsent failed to secure re-election to the post, being replaced by Železný. The , Pinsent had at one time the largest lung capacity recorded for a sportsman at 8.5 litres. This has since been surpassed by fellow rower Pete Reed who has been

neg: Gloria Marconi July 2001 in Catania; 15:31.02 minutes in the 5000 metres, achieved in July 2004 in Florence; and 32:28.65 minutes in the 10,000 metres, achieved in April 2003 in Athens. She had a greater success in road running. In the half marathon she competed at the 2001 and 2002 World Half Marathon Championships, and finished eleventh at the 2004 World Half Marathon Championships. Marconi took back-to-back victories at the Roma-Ostia Half Marathon in 2002 and 2003. As a debutant in the marathon race she won the 2003 edition of the Rome City Marathon. She finished 42nd in this event at the

neg: Aristidis Konstantinidis Aristidis Konstantinidis Aristidis Konstantinidis () was a Greek racing cyclist. He competed at the 1896 Summer Olympics in Athens. Konstantinidis competed in the 10 kilometres, 100 kilometres, and road races. He won the road race, covering the 87 kilometres from Athens to Marathon and back in a time of 3:22:31 despite his bicycle breaking down shortly after turning around and him falling during the return trip. The race was then done with the help of pacemakers, and some sources say that he finished the race on a pacemaker's bicycle, because his bicycle had broken down. Other sources tell that he

neg: Kerryn McCann and an Australian record. She achieved a seventh place in the New York Marathon in 2002. McCann's best result in international competition came later in 2002 at the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester, United Kingdom, where she won gold ahead of fellow Australians, Krishna Stanton and Jackie Gallagher. McCann again took a break from competition for the birth of her daughter, before commencing training in late 2003 and returning to competition in 2004, competing in the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece, finishing 31st in the marathon. In 2005, she won the 14 kilometre, City to Surf in a time

neg: Elfenesh Alemu Elfenesh Alemu Elfenesh Alemu (born 10 June 1975 in Lemo Arya, Arsi Zone) is an Ethiopian long-distance runner, who specializes in the marathon race. She represented Ethiopia at the Summer Olympics in 2000 and 2004. She also competed in the marathon at the World Championships in Athletics four times consecutively from 1997 to 2003. Alemu began competing in the event in 1993 and won the African Marathon Championships the following year. She took the bronze medal two years later at the 1995 All-Africa Games. She became the first Ethiopian woman to win the Amsterdam Marathon in 1997. She also won

neg: Ben Fouhy Ben Fouhy Ben Fouhy (born 4 March 1979, in Taumarunui) is a New Zealand flatwater and marathon canoeist who has been competing since the early 2000s. Competing in three Summer Olympics, he won the silver in the K-1 1000 m event at Athens in 2004, as well as finishing fourth in the 2008 Olympics and ninth in the 2012 Olympics in the same event. He is the recipient of the 2003 Halberg Award for NZ Sportsman of the Year and a former world record holder in the K1 1000m event. Fouhy began kayaking competitively in 2002, following a background in

neg: Venues of the 2004 Summer Olympics Games, the first modern Olympics took place at Athens in 1896. The main stadium, Panathinaiko, served as host of the athletic, gymnastic, weightlifting, and wrestling events. The city of Marathon served the start point for the sport of the same name and the starting and finishing point of cycling's Individual road race. Between the 1896 and 2004 Summer Olympics, Greece underwent a series of events that created political instability in the country. This included the Balkan Wars of 1912-3, World War I, the Greco-Turkish War (1919-1922), a creation of a Second Hellenic Republic of 1924-35, the Axis Occupation of Greece

neg: Marathons at the Olympics Marathons at the Olympics The marathon at the Summer Olympics is the only road running event held at the multi-sport event. The men's marathon has been present on the Olympic athletics programme since 1896. Nearly ninety years later, the women's event was added to the programme at the 1984 Olympics. The modern marathon event was created and later refined through the Olympic competition. The idea of holding a marathon race at the first Olympics was suggested to Pierre de Coubertin by Michel Bréal. Based upon a popular myth stemming from the Battle of Marathon, in which Pheidippides ran to Athens

neg: Svetlana Ponomarenko City Marathon in 2000 and taking third place at the 2001 Athens Classic Marathon. At the 2002 Athens Marathon, she was some distance behind the winner and came sixth in just under three hours. She led for much of the 2004 Athens Marathon, but ended up in third place behind Ethiopian rivals. Her performances were much improved in the 2005 season: she recorded a time of 2:31:26 for fifth at the Frankfurt Marathon and was also fourth at that year's Prague Marathon. She took her first race victory at the Frankfurt race the following year as a late surge saw

neg: Madaí Pérez Madaí Pérez Madaí Pérez Carrillo (born 2 February 1980 in Tlaxcala) is a Mexican long-distance runner. She represented Mexico in the marathon at the 2008 and 2012 Summer Olympics. Her first full marathon race was the 2003 Chicago Marathon, where she finished twelfth in 2:31:34. She finished fifth over 10,000 metres at the 2003 Pan American Games. She won the Bolder Boulder 10K race in 2004, and also won the Guadalajara Half Marathon that year, in the first of three consecutive wins. In 2005, she finished eleventh in the marathon at the World Championships in a personal best time of

neg: Brazil at the Olympics edition, in London. One athlete from Brazil has been awarded the Pierre de Coubertin medal: Vanderlei de Lima, a long-distance runner who was attacked by a spectator during the men's marathon at the 2004 edition in Athens, Greece, when he was leading the race. Lima lost two places, winning the bronze medal. In spite of the situation, he still celebrated the third-place, showing good sportsmanship. The National Olympic Committee for Brazil is the Brazilian Olympic Committee. The entity was created in 1914 and recognized in 1935. Rio de Janeiro in Brazil was the host city to the 2016 Summer Olympics.

neg: Nataliya Samorodina (11:13) behind winner Larisa Ilchenko of Russia. Nataliya Samorodina Nataliya Anatoliïvna Samorodina (; born March 17, 1983) is a Ukrainian former swimmer, who specialized in butterfly events and open water marathon. She represented Ukraine in two editions of the Olympic Games (2004 and 2008) and also swam for Ukraïna Zaporizhzhia. Samorodina made her first Ukrainian team at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, where she competed in the women's 200 m butterfly. Swimming in heat one, she put up a sprint race with neighboring Russia's Maria Bulakhova and Chinese Taipei's Cheng Wan-jung on the final lap, but could not catch

neg: Nataliya Samorodina Nataliya Samorodina Nataliya Anatoliïvna Samorodina (; born March 17, 1983) is a Ukrainian former swimmer, who specialized in butterfly events and open water marathon. She represented Ukraine in two editions of the Olympic Games (2004 and 2008) and also swam for Ukraïna Zaporizhzhia. Samorodina made her first Ukrainian team at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, where she competed in the women's 200 m butterfly. Swimming in heat one, she put up a sprint race with neighboring Russia's Maria Bulakhova and Chinese Taipei's Cheng Wan-jung on the final lap, but could not catch them by almost a full-body length to

neg: Uruguay at the 2004 Summer Olympics Uruguay at the 2004 Summer Olympics Uruguay competed at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece, from 13 to 29 August 2004. This was the nation's eighteenth appearance at the Olympics, except the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow, because of its partial support to the United States boycott. The Uruguayan Olympic Committee (, "COU") sent a total of 15 athletes to the Games, 13 men and 2 women, to compete in 6 different sports. Four athletes from the Uruguayan team had previously competed in Sydney, including track cyclist Milton Wynants, who won the bronze in the men's points race, and

neg: Sendai 2006 of the Sendai International half marathon, Mizuki Noguchi, who won the women's marathon Gold medal at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games, took part in and won the race in a surprising course record. Various sporting venues can be found in Sendai, such as Miyagi Stadium (venue of 2002 FIFA World Cup), Sendai Stadium, Miyagi Baseball Stadium, Sendai City Gymnasium and Sendai Hi-Land Raceway. The city is also known as the origin of figure skating in Japan, and both 2006 Olympic gold medalist Shizuka Arakawa and two-time Olympic gold medalist (2014, 2018) Yuzuru Hanyu trained in Sendai during their childhood.

neg: Athletics at the 2004 Summer Olympics – Women's marathon Olympic records were as follows. No new records were set during the competition. The qualification period for athletics was 1 January 2003 to 9 August 2004. For the men's marathon, each National Olympic Committee was permitted to enter up to three athletes that had run the race in 2:37:00 or faster during the qualification period. If an NOC had no athletes that qualified under that standard, one athlete that had run the race in 2:42:00 or faster could be entered. Athletics at the 2004 Summer Olympics – Women's marathon The women's marathon at the 2004 Summer Olympics took place on

neg: Ulrike Maisch Ulrike Maisch Ulrike Maisch (born January 21, 1977) is a long-distance runner from Germany, who won the women's marathon at the 2006 European Athletics Championships in Gothenburg, Sweden. Maisch was born in Stralsund, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. She competed for her native country at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece. Maisch ran in the marathon at the 2009 World Championships in Athletics in Berlin, but dropped out due to a foot injury. She and Richard Friedrich (also a runner) had a child in early 2011 – Emil. Maisch said that becoming a mother did not mean the end of her running

neg: Albin Lermusiaux Albin Lermusiaux Albin Lermusiaux (9 August 1874 – 1940) was a French athlete and shooter who competed at the 1896 Summer Olympics in Athens. In total Lermusiaux competed in four different events at the 1896 Summer Olympics, he won his preliminary heat of the 800 metres with a time of 2:16.6, he withdrew from the final which was to take place three days later but decided to save himself for the marathon which was taking place a day after the 800 metres final. In the 1500 metres event, which was conducted in a single race, Lermusiaux led from the start,

neg: Rakiya Maraoui-Quétier The following year, at the World Cross Country Championships at Ostend, she won another team bronze medal, alongside Oubouhou Yamna-Belkacem, and Zahia Dahmani. In 2003, she finished third at the Paris Half Marathon, and fifth in the Paris Marathon and placed 21st at the marathon of the World Championships in Paris / Saint-Denis. In the marathon of the Olympic Games in Athens in 2004, she did not finish. Nationally, she won the title of champion of France in the 10 000 m in 2000, in Cross-country in 2000 and 2001 (long race) and in the marathon in 1999. Rakiya Maraoui-Quétier

neg: Jack Holden (athlete) Jack Holden (athlete) John "Jack" Thomas Holden (13 March 1907 – 7 March 2004) was a long-distance runner from England, who won four consecutive national titles in the marathon (1947–1950). He represented Great Britain at the 1948 Summer Olympics in London, but abandoned the race due to foot blisters. He won the 1950 Empire Games marathon in Auckland, running the last nine miles barefoot after his shoes fell apart during the race. He was also a successful cross country runner, becoming the first man to win the International Cross Country Championships four times, which he did between 1933 and 1939.

neg: Dunky Wright Empire Games he won the bronze medal in the marathon contest. He won The Morpeth, a long running race in England, a record of seven times between 1927 and 1934. Dunky Wright Dunky Wright ("Duncan MacLeod Wright;" 22 September 1896 – 21 August 1976) was a Scottish athlete who competed for Great Britain in the 1924 Summer Olympics, in the 1928 Summer Olympics, and in the 1932 Summer Olympics. He was born and died in Glasgow. In 1924 he did not finish the Olympic marathon race. Four years later he finished 20th in the 1928 Olympic marathon. His final Olympic

neg: Athletics at the 1996 Summer Olympics – Men's marathon Athletics at the 1996 Summer Olympics – Men's marathon The Men's Marathon at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia was held on Sunday August 4, 1996. The race started at 07.05h local time to avoid excessively hot and humid conditions. A total number of 111 athletes completed the race, with an injured and limping Abdel Baser Wasiqi from Afghanistan finishing in last position in 4'24:17. There were a total of 124 competitors from 79 countries. Thirteen competitors did not finish. The medal ceremony took place during the Closing Ceremony which they did again in Athens eight years later. The

neg: Martín Fiz Martín Fiz Martín Fiz Martín (born 3 March 1963 in Vitoria-Gasteiz, Álava) is a former long-distance runner from Spain, who won the marathon at the 1994 European Championships in Athletics in Helsinki and repeated his success at the 1995 World Championships in Athletics in Gothenburg. The same year he captured the title in the Rotterdam Marathon. At the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta Fiz came fourth in the Athletics at the 1996 Summer Olympics - Men's marathon. A year later he won a silver medal at the 1997 World Championships in Athletics in Athens, finishing behind his countryman Abel Anton.

neg: Charilaos Vasilakos to wife Helen. He died in Athens in 1964. The 2011 book titled "Ο Χαρίλαος Βασιλάκος και η αμφιλεγόμενη πρωτιά του Σπύρου Λούη", which translates from Greek to "Charilaos Vasilakos and the controversial lead of Spyros Louis", presents a biography of Vasilakos and signs which challenge the 1896 Olympic race results. Charilaos Vasilakos Charilaos Vasilakos (, 1875 – December 1, 1964) was a Greek athlete and the first man to win a marathon race. He also won a silver medal at the 1896 Summer Olympics in Athens. Vasilakos was born in Piraeus, Greece. His father Michael Vasilakos was from the

neg: Arthur Blake (distance runner) Arthur Blake (distance runner) Arthur Blake ("Arthur Charles "Skipper" Blake;" January 26, 1872 – October 22, 1944) was an American athlete who competed in the 1500 meters and the marathon at the 1896 Summer Olympics in Athens. Blake was born on January 26, 1872 in Boston, Massachusetts. Blake competed for the Boston Athletic Association and it was after a 1000 yard race he said in jest ""I'm too good for Boston, I ought to go over and run the Marathon, at Athens, in the Olympic Games"", the comment was overheard by stockbroker Arthur Burnham, who then offered to finance a

neg: Kjersti Plätzer her coach. They have two children, Kiara Lea and Sebastian. 2007 World Championships in Osaka,Japan 20 km 4th place 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China 20 km 2nd place Kjersti Plätzer Kjersti Tysse Plätzer (born Tysse on January 18, 1972) is a Norwegian race walker, who won the silver medal at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, in the 20 kilometres race. She finished 12th in the same race in the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens and 4th in the 2007 World Championships in Osaka. At the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, she again won a silver medal in the

neg: Ulrike Maisch career, citing the example of Paula Radcliffe. Both Ulrik Maisch and Richard Friedrich now live in Guernsey and will compete for the nation, they will both be making their Guernsey debut at the 2016 Hampshire XC Championships. Ulrike Maisch Ulrike Maisch (born January 21, 1977) is a long-distance runner from Germany, who won the women's marathon at the 2006 European Athletics Championships in Gothenburg, Sweden. Maisch was born in Stralsund, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. She competed for her native country at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece. Maisch ran in the marathon at the 2009 World Championships in Athletics in Berlin,

neg: East Timor at the 2004 Summer Olympics oldest athlete to represent the nation at the Summer Games, which still stands today. She was also selected as the nation's first flag bearer for the opening ceremony. Ultimately, neither athlete won a medal in their events, with Trindade not even finishing his marathon. This therefore meant that East Timor won no medals in the Athens Games. Although this was the official Summer Olympics debut for East Timor, East Timorese athletes had competed as Individual Olympic Athletes in the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia. Because the athletes did not win a medal at the previous Olympics, no athlete from

neg: Pacemaker (running) the expected favourites. That year, the L.A. Marathon was the National Championship race, so he also became the United States National Champion. Brazilian Vanderlei De Lima, later the marathon bronze medalist in the 2004 Summer Olympics, was a pacemaker at the Reims Marathon in 1994. It was his first competitive marathon, and he was supposed to be a pacemaker up to the 21 km point, but won the race. During the Berlin Marathon in 2000, Simon Biwott was hired as a pacemaker, but crossed the finish line as the winner. The rules for pacemakers state, 3 of them at most

neg: Athletics at the 1896 Summer Olympics a two-day run to seek Spartan help against the invading Persians in the Battle of Marathon, and then ran from the town of Marathon to Athens days later to announce the victory, dying as a result of his heroic efforts. The race started in Marathon, and ran for 40 kilometres over dusty roads to Athens. The Greek public, disappointed as there had not yet been a Greek victor in athletics, was overjoyed when it was announced during the race that a Greek runner had taken the lead. When Spiridon Louis, a water carrier from Maroussi, arrived in the stadium he

neg: Spyridon Louis Bréal, who was inspired by the legend of the messenger Pheidippides, who had run from Marathon to Athens to announce the Athenian victory in the Battle of Marathon—and then dropped dead. The Greeks were very enthusiastic about this new event and decided to hold qualifiers for the marathon. These races were started by Colonel Papadiamantopoulos, who Louis previously served under in the military. The first qualifying race—the first ever marathon race—was held on 22 March, and was won by Charilaos Vasilakos in 3 hours, 18 minutes. Louis participated in the second qualifying race, two weeks later, and placed fifth. Papadiamantopoulos,

neg: Charilaos Vasilakos Charilaos Vasilakos Charilaos Vasilakos (, 1875 – December 1, 1964) was a Greek athlete and the first man to win a marathon race. He also won a silver medal at the 1896 Summer Olympics in Athens. Vasilakos was born in Piraeus, Greece. His father Michael Vasilakos was from the Mani region and served in the army. The oldest of three siblings, at age fourteen his father died. As a young man he studied Law at the University of Athens and worked in the Athens court of first instance. A member of Panellinios sport club, he was a dedicated athlete and

neg: Wilfred Bungei in Athletics in Edmonton he won a silver medal over 800 m, finishing behind Andre Bucher. While in school, he focused on sprints and decathlon, before concentrating on 800 metres running. He graduated from Samoei High School in 1998. At the 1998 World Junior Championships in Athletics he won a silver medal. Bungei represented his native country at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece. Bungei is from Kabirirsang, a village near Kapsabet. Several of his relatives are runners, including his brother Sammy Kurgat, who won the 2008 Cologne Marathon. He is a second cousin to Kenyan-born Danish former athlete

neg: Corinne Raux sporting activities suspended by her student career, she began practicing Duathlon in 2000 and quickly joined the team of France. In 2002, she won the ITU Duathlon World Championships in the United States. This is her only victory in a global competition. She abandoned the duathlon in favor of Running which remains her main specialty. Since 2003, Corinne Raux has chosen to focus solely on road racing. In 2004 at the Paris marathon, which was her second marathon, Corinne Raux performed outstandingly taking a place on the podium and winning the third qualifying spot for 2004 Summer Olympics at Athens.

neg: Peninah Arusei Peninah Arusei Peninah Arusei Jerop (born 1 January 1979 in Uasin Gishu) is a Kenyan long-distance runner who specialises in road running competitions, especially the half marathon. She has represented Kenya at the Olympics, having competed in the 10,000 metres race at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Arusei has won races on the European road circuit, including the Dam tot Damloop, Berlin Half Marathon and Lisbon Half Marathon. She won the Baringo 15 km Road Race in 2007, finishing in a time of 50:52. She represented Kenya at the 2007 Military World Games and won the 5000 metres gold medal, helping

neg: Kyrgyzstan at the 2004 Summer Olympics Kyrgyzstan at the 2004 Summer Olympics Kyrgyzstan competed at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece, from 13 to 29 August 2004. This was the nation's third appearance at the Olympics in the post-Soviet era. The National Olympic Committee of the Republic of Kyrgyzstan sent the nation's smallest delegation to the Games. A total of 29 athletes, 22 men and 7 women, competed only in 9 sports. Eight Kyrgyzstani athletes had previously competed in Sydney, including 43-year-old marathon runner Irina Bogachova, Greco-Roman wrestler Gennady Chkhaidze, who finished fifth for his native country Georgia in the men's heavyweight division, and Asian

neg: Paris Marathon medal to all runners who finished the race in less than 4 hours. The distance of 40 km was chosen as it was the distance separating Marathon from Athens. The current distance of the race is 42.195 km, which the IAAF established in 1921 as the standard length of a marathon, following the 1908 Olympic race in London. This first race was won by Len Hurst from England who crossed the finishing line in 2 hours, 31 minutes and 30 seconds. His prize money was 200 francs. Although the International Association of Athletics Federations credits Violet Piercy as the first

neg: Stamata Revithi in 1895, aged seven, and another child who was seventeen months old by the time of the 1896 Olympics. According to Olympic historian Athanasios Tarasouleas, Revithi, who was blonde and thin with large eyes, looked much older than her age. Revithi believed that she could gain employment in Athens, and so walked there from her home—a distance of . Her journey took place several days prior to the Olympic marathon, a special race of invented as part of the athletics program, and based on Michel Bréal's idea of a race from the city of Marathon to the Pnyx. Bréal took

neg: Alfredo Arévalo behind Montenegro's Goran Stojiljković, with a time of 2:28:26. Alfredo Arévalo Alfredo Arévalo Reyes (born February 20, 1976 in Uspantán) is a Guatemalan marathon runner. In 2004, he achieved both his personal best and a national record-breaking time of 2:12:53 at the National Capital Marathon in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Arevalo made his official debut for the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, where he finished seventy-seventh in the men's marathon, outside his personal best of 2:34:02. At the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, Arevalo competed again for the second time in men's marathon, along with his compatriot José Amado García. He

neg: Rasa Drazdauskaitė placed 15th. She set a race record at the Athens Classic Marathon in October 2010, completing the race in a time of 2:31:06 to win the race and also the World Military Championship race. Drazdauskaitė ran at the 2011 Turin Marathon and was the runner-up behind Yuliya Ruban in a personal best time of 2:29:47 hours. She finished in 27th place at the 2012 Summer Olympics after running a new personal best. Drazdauskaitė ran 2:31:23 at 2015 World Championships in Athletics – Women's marathon to place 11th. Drazdauskaitė ran 1:11:47 at 2016 European Athletics Championships – Women's half marathon to

neg: Dathan Ritzenhein did not go to Athens, Bob Kennedy having dropped out of the Olympic Trials race with an Achilles tendon injury and Meb Keflezighi choosing to focus solely on the marathon. Ritzenhein ran the Olympic 10,000 m, but dropped out mid-race due to pain caused by his stress fracture. Shortly after the Olympics he decided to forgo his remaining collegiate eligibility in order to run professionally. At this time he changed coaches from Mark Wetmore to Brad Hudson. Ritzenhein began his professional career on December 31, 2004 when he finished 3rd in a 10 km road race in Italy. In January

neg: Hafida Izem Marathon in September. She ran a half marathon best to claim the title at the Roma-Ostia Half Marathon in February, winning in a time of 1:10:39 hours. In March, Izem became the inaugural women's winner of the 2004 Treviso Marathon, and just one week later she ran at the 2004 IAAF World Cross Country Championships, taking 65th place. She set a course record at the Vivicittà Firenze Half Marathon the following month. A marathon best of 2:36:02 came at the Neapolis Marathon in Naples and she gained selection to represent Morocco the event at the 2004 Athens Olympics. She was