Chapter 1276
Some people suggested that the race should start near the Turií barracks and go to the hot spring swamps. This would be of great significance (the Great Swamp War was the founding battle of Diónia), and it would give full play to the abilities of the Turií runners (the Turií runners who participated in the marathon were all young soldiers of the First and Second Legions. They trained near the Turií barracks all year round and were fully adapted to the terrain there).
Others suggested that the race should start near the port of Turií and go all the way to the inner city of Turií. This was also of great significance (the Devers led the mercenaries to land in the port of Turií and finally established the Kingdom of Diónia in the inner city of Turií), and it was also good for the final award ceremony.
Others suggested that the starting point of the long-distance race should be near the port of Turií and the finishing point at the foot of Mount Amendolara. This was also of great significance. After all, the King of Devers led his army to land in Greece from the port of Turií and first established a foothold in Mount Amendolara. This route was also good for the performance of all the runners.
After repeated consideration, Cloto Catax led the preparation team and finally adopted the third suggestion. The main reason was that this route was flat and open, and it could help all the runners finish the race smoothly. After all, it was the first time the marathon was held. If the race was too difficult, many runners would not be able to complete it, and it would not be good for the promotion of the marathon in the future.
Since the start of the Games, the marathon had always been very popular among the people of Diónia and foreign tourists. Like the boat race, it was impossible to charge tickets due to the wide range of the race. Therefore, on the day of the race, the people of Turií and its vicinity, including tourists, rushed to both sides of the track, surrounding the port of Turií and the foot of Mount Amendolara. In order to prevent interference in the race, Cloto Catax even mobilized the army to maintain the order of the race.
The crowd was loud, and so was the lineup of the runners. Two years ago, after the preparation team of the Diónia Games announced the establishment of the marathon, there was a saying that gradually spread in the Greek world, "Athletes who can complete the marathon are real athletes." Under the influence of such public opinion, more than 200 contestants signed up for this event.
There were no qualifiers, no semifinals, just a single match to determine the winner.
After the loud whistle for the start of the race, the contestants rushed onto the track like a swarm of bees and slowly ran towards the finish line amidst the cheers of the audience.
At the end of the long-distance race, there was also a sea of people. After careful consideration, the organizing team of the sports meet had set up a VIP seat on a small hill nearby, where they could overlook the last part of the race. Now, the representatives of the various regions and city-states of the kingdom were sitting in the VIP seats one after another.
Pelopidas found his seat and found that the envoy from Athens was sitting right next to him. He immediately smiled and said, "General Kalistratus, congratulations. Congratulations to Athens for taking the lead in the Diónia Games!"
"It's only temporary." Kalistratus waved his hand modestly. "The games haven't ended yet, so it's hard to say. Besides, we all know that the so-called first and second place don't mean much. The sum of the points obtained by each region of Diónia far exceeds the sum of all the city-states. Diónia is just comparing its regions with our city-states as a whole. "
"So what? Since Diónia chose to use this method to compare the strength of the sports competition of each city-state, we have to admit our loss," Pelopidas said confidently. "What's more, the Turií region of Diónia surpasses our city-states in terms of population, land area, and prosperity. Therefore, winning is a reflection of strength."
"What you said makes sense." Kalistratus' response seemed a little perfunctory, but in fact, that was what he was thinking. Currently, Athens was far behind Turií in terms of military strength, population, land area, and trade level. However, at least Athens still had the advantage in sports competition.
"Listening to you two, it sounds like the first place is already in the bag. But let me tell you, our Arcadia is only two points behind Athens. Maybe when the marathon is over, Arcadia will be able to overtake us because we have several long-distance runners. "Lycomedes suddenly interrupted.
The preparatory team had arranged for the top few envoys of the city-states to sit together. It was really thoughtful of them.
"When it comes to long-distance runners, we, the Pioscia Alliance, also have several. Among them, Pantacris has even won the championship in the 3,000-meter long-distance race. This time, he has also signed up for the marathon. The final champion will definitely be him!" Perópidas said proudly. Just now, he had congratulated Kalistratus, but now he had a smug look on his face, as if he was going to seize the first place on the medal table.
"How can a 3,000-meter race be compared to a marathon? That's a super long distance of nearly ten miles!" Kalistratus, who had been modest just now, was not to be outdone. He said, "The reason why the Diónia Games has this event is because of the glorious battle in Athens — the marathon! We have more than 15 runners who have signed up for the competition. For more than a year, they have been training tirelessly every day, just to bring the glory that should have belonged to Athens back to Athens! "
"You're thinking too much, Kalistratus." Lycomedes sneered. "Although the long-distance marathon was indeed started because of the Athens Games, can the current runners in Athens get a good ranking in this competition? I wasn't optimistic about it. Running a marathon required not only a lot of stamina, but also a strong will to run such a long distance. Would the Athenians, who were used to enjoying themselves, be able to endure this kind of hardship? I think it's very difficult! On the other hand, we, the Arcadia people, who trudge between the mountains every day, are more able to endure hardships. "
"The most able to endure hardships are the farmers. You mean that as long as we send a farmer, we can win this event?!"
…
Ipamilonda watched from the side as these three, who could be said to be the most powerful people in the Greek city-states, argued about whether their city-states could win the final standings of the Games. He could not help but sigh in his heart. Thinking back to the opening ceremony of the Games, all of them were relaxed, full of curiosity, and had the mentality of watching a joke. Now, they were completely immersed in it. Not only them, looking at the envoys of the other city-states around them, it was the same. Although it was the first time that the Diónia people hosted the Games, it should be a great success, just like everything else they do.
Ipamilonda thought to himself. He said, "You guys don't have to argue anymore. I think the champion of this marathon is likely to be won by the athletes of Diónia."
"Why?" Pelopidas knew that his best friend usually did not like to talk, but every time he spoke, he would always have something to say.
Ipamilonda said seriously, "Based on my understanding of the Dionysian Army, the Holy Kingdom of Dioria conducts long-term military training for its citizens year after year, and one of the most important training programs is the armed long-distance running. Almost every seven days, they have to run a distance of more than five miles. Therefore, the Dionysian Army's marching speed is very fast in the war, and they can fight continuously. This characteristic has been reflected in many battles where the Dionysian Army participated."
Kalistratus, Pelopidas, and Lycomedes looked at each other and suddenly stopped talking.
Although what Ipamilonda said was reasonable, Kalistratus and the others still hoped that they would get lucky. After more than an hour of waiting, the contestants finally appeared in their field of vision. However, no matter how hard they stared and focused, they did not find any familiar figures among the contestants running at the front. Instead, the spectators on both sides of the track cheered thunderously, and some even shouted the names of the contestants in unison.
Kalistratus and the others were frustrated because the vast majority of the Diónia spectators would do such a thing. The contestants running at the front could only be from Diónia, or even Turín.
Their inference was not wrong. The contestants running at the front were all from the Turín region, and the contestant in the lead was named Arsinis. After running for a long time, not only did he not feel tired, but he was also getting more and more excited.
Compared to the immature boy he was five years ago, Arsinis was now the main force of the First Legion, and at the beginning of the year, he was promoted to a platoon leader and married the daughter of an elder in the army. This year was a joyous year for him. Two days later, it would be the anniversary of his biological father's death. He decided to win the marathon, and then offer this glory to his biological father's grave, to pay tribute to the father who died in battle before he was born. He had grown into a man of indomitable spirit, and he could rest assured in Elysium!
The weather today was unusually cool. The sea breeze mixed with humidity blew on his face. Listening to the spectators shouting his name, which was the same as his biological father's, his steps became bigger and faster …
… …
The first three places in the marathon were won by the contestants from Diónia, and all three contestants were from the First and Second Legions of Diónia. As a result, the total points of the Diónia Turín region surpassed that of Athens in one fell swoop, and they won first place in the standings.
This disappointed Kalistratus and the others, but also made the envoys of the other city-states breathe a sigh of relief. After all, under the influence of Diónia's powerful national strength over the past few years, it was normal for them to have such thoughts. It was natural for Diónia to win first place in the Games, so why should Athens overtake them?
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