Summer of sport - the Olympics

By Rob John   

Read by Mike Hugo

I run.  That’s my job.  I run and carry messages.  No one in the Greek army can run faster or further than me.

That’s why when they have a really important message they call for me: Pheidippides, the runner.

That’s why I’m running now.  Got to get my message to Athens this morning before it’s too late.  This message is important.  Can’t let them down.  Got to get there as fast as I can.

Not going to be easy though.  Athens is twenty-six miles away.  And today, it’s hot.   And there are mountains to cross.  It’s going to be tough.  But I can do it.  I can do it ‘cause I am Pheidippedes, the best runner in the Greek army.

Been running for an hour now.  It’s hot and I’m running up a steep mountain track.  Trying not to think about my aching legs.  Just got to keep going.  Just got to get the message through as fast as I can.

See, the people in Athens don’t know yet.  They don’t know that, today, we Greeks won a great battle.  Today, we beat the Persians and chased them to the sea. Watched them as they scrambled onto their ships and sailed away.

We were happy ‘cause we’d won the battle, but then we stopped and thought: where are the Persians sailing?  What if they’re sailing to our city? What if they’re planning to attack Athens?

The leader of our army said: ‘We’ve got to warn our people in the city.  They have to be ready for an attack’.  That’s when he called for a messenger.  Called for me, Pheidippedes, the best runner in the Greek army.

I’ve reached the top of the mountain.  From here I can see the city in the distance, but it’s still another ten miles away.  Still a long way to go.  I drink water from my leather bottle, but I don’t stop running. 

I’m running downhill now and that’s not easy.  If you go too fast you can trip and twist your ankle.  The ground is uneven.  There are lots of loose stones.  I’m running fast, but not too fast.  I’m careful.  Keeping my eyes on the ground.  I’m not going to fall. My message is too important.  I must not make a mistake.  

Some people say: ‘why don’t they use men on horses to take messages? A horse can run much faster than a man,’ they say.  But they don’t understand.  A horse can’t run on a track like this.  It’s too steep.  The ground’s too dangerous.  On a track like this, there’s only one way to send a message fast.  You need someone on foot. Someone like me: Pheidippedes, the best runner in the Greek army.

The city’s getting closer.  But I’m tired.  Can’t go much further.  I just want to stop.  If I could just stop for a minute!  If I could just sit down on the ground, lie down maybe! Just for a minute?  A minute won’t hurt!

But no!  I am Pheidippedes.  I don’t slow down.  And I don’t stop running until I’ve delivered my message.

Now I’m running into the city.  People are standing in the streets.  They see me coming.  They know I am a runner bringing a message to the city.  They call out to me: ‘What news? Was there a battle? Did we win?’  I don’t answer their questions.  I must deliver my message to the leaders of the city.  I must save my breath for them.

And now I’m here.  This is it.  I’m running up steps.  Guards see me coming. They know who I am.  They open the door of a huge building.

Oh, it is cool and dark in here. And I run. And I run. And here they are: the leaders of my city, waiting for my message.  I’ve done it!

And now I can stop running.  Tell them what they need to know.  I feel proud, but people probably won’t remember my name.  I’m just a runner.  But, maybe they will remember that a man, carrying a message, once ran twenty-six miles to Athens from a place called … Marathon.