Passing a glass statue…
Passing a glass statue called ‘The Runner,’ Tanzania’s Zebedayo Bayo (r) and Kenyan Stephen Rugut lope down Vassilissis Sophias Avenue in central Athens yesterday a few hundred meters from the finishing line of the Athens Marathon, on an unseasonably warm November day. Bayo managed to edge ahead, reaching the Panathenian Stadium seven seconds ahead of Rugut to win with an overall time of 2 hours, 16 minutes and 59 seconds. The next five runners in the men’s race were all from Kenya, while the best Greek contestant was Nikos Pollias, who clocked 2 hours 23 minutes 16 seconds to end the race eighth. Yesterday’s race, held jointly with a 10-kilometer run from Aghia Paraskevi to the all-marble stadium, served as a test event ahead of the 2004 Olympics.
