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FLAME OF THE MARATHON RUN - LEGACY

2006: Twin-City Relationship Established

On April 17, 2006, representatives from Marathon, Greece gathered in Hopkinton to officially establish the twin-city relationship between Marathon and Hopkinton. A statue honoring the 1946 Boston Marathon winner Stylianos Kyriakides, a Greek marathon hero, was unveiled at the ceremony. Located at the one-mile mark on the Boston Marathon course in Hopkinton, the Kyriakides statue is a replica of a statue located in Marathon, Greece, which was revealed at the 2000 Olympics.

2007: Marathon, Greece Dedicates Marathon Flame

In November of 2007, the City of Marathon, Greece dedicated a Flame of the Marathon at the sacred location of the Battle of Marathon and the 300 Greek Warriors' tomb. Present at this ceremony were many local, national and international organizations, including representatives from the town of Hopkinton and the Hopkinton Athletic Association.

The ceremony included the inaugural Flame of the Marathon Run, an event designed to raise youth awareness and inspire the next generation of runners and marathon caretakers.

                          Marathon, Greece                                                          Hopkinton, MA, USA

2008: Marathon Flame Spreads Across the World

The administrators of the Flame of the Marathon desire that the Flame and its message travel to every marathon race in the world so it may burn as a sign of peace, comradeship, collaboration and cultural exchange. The Flame of the Marathon was first delivered to the site of the next modern Olympics to be held in China in 2008.

The Mayor of Marathon, Spyros Zagaris, selected his twin city of Hopkinton, MA as the first North American destination for the Flame of the Marathon. As the oldest continuously run marathon in the world, the Boston Marathon, which begins in Hopkinton, is modeled after the original modern Olympic marathon run from Marathon, Greece to the finish line in the Olympic Stadium in Athens, Greece. The Flame of the Marathon traveled from Marathon to Hopkinton in April 2008 to mark the 112th running of the Boston Marathon.