MARATHON FLAME, Laurel Wreaths coming from GREECE to crown 2,500th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATIONS of the MARATHON at Scotiabank TORONTO Waterfront Marathon weekend, Sept. 24th-26th.
- 2,500th Anniversary of the Birth of the Marathon to be celebrated in Canada, September 24th-26th weekend.
- Pheidippides and the Battle of Marathon, 490BC. Who ran? Who won? Who died? And what it means for every runner at STWM2010.
- Flame to ignite "marathon spirit and ideals" in T.O. -- of world peace, fair competition, and sport as a way of life.
- Mayor Miller to run final leg of Marathon Flame Relay from City Hall to Exhibition Place, Friday morning, September 24th; proclaims "Marathon Week in Toronto".
- Six Special Laurel Wreaths made from olive branches from the trees at the Battlefield of Marathon, Greece, to be presented to STWM2010 Champions by the Mayor of Marathon.
- Be a part of it! Run, Pledge, Cheer, Volunteer. The Weekend Schedule.
TORONTO. September 7th: The Marathon Flame and 6 Laurel Wreaths made of olive branches from trees at the Battlefield of Marathon site will be coming from Greece to mark the 2,500th Anniversary of the first marathon run by Pheidippides in 490AD, to be staged at the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon weekend, September 24th-26th.. The flame and wreaths will highlight the Canadian segment of global celebrations that began in Mumbai in January, and will conclude in Athens on October 31st. Along the way, it has passed through other world-cities and their marathons such as Vienna and Prague. This will be the only stop in Canada for the Flame. The Flame and victory laurels will be the key elements of a weekend of festivities that includes a Torch Relay run from Nathan Phillips Square to the Princes' Gates at Exhibition Place with Mayor Miller confirmed to carry the torch over the final 500 metres; the Flame Lighting Ceremony on Friday morning the 24th in front of the Direct Energy Building, where the 2-day Waterfront Marathon Expo will take place; athlete and raconteur Roger Robinson (who will also be a keynote speaker in Athens) will speak at the Expo on Friday and Saturday and at the pre-race Pasta Dinner at the Marriott Eaton Centre on Saturday evening on "The 2,500th Anniversary of Marathon: Who ran? Who won? Who died? And what it means for every runner at this Sunday's Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon; there will also be Greek music and dancing on the stage at the Expo on Friday, following the Lighting Ceremony; the Flame with burn at the Ex until Saturday night when it will be moved to Nathan Phillips Square for the actual Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon footrace on Sunday morning; the Laurel Wreaths will be presented to the race Champions at the Awards Ceremony at 12 noon; and a final Flame Extinguishing Ceremony will take place on Sunday at 2pm. The Greek communities of Toronto, Mississauga and Markham and the Hellenic Hope Centre will also be hosting "Greek Town", a major Cheering & Entertainment site at Broadview and Eastern Avenue, the 39km point on the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon course during the race, from 9am to 2pm on the 26th with more music, dancing, clowns and children's games in support of 4 community charities.
All events throughout the weekend are free and open to the public. The Celebrations in Canada of the 2,500th Anniversary of the Marathon are being held under the joint auspices of the offices of Mayor David Miller -- who will himself be running the Half-marathon on the Sunday morning -- Consul General of Greece in Toronto, Dimitris Azemopoulos, and Hon. Peter Fonseca, Ontario Minister of Labour and the only Olympic Marathoner [Atlanta 1996] to hold public office in Canada.
SCHEDULE of EVENTS.
Friday, September 24th.
9:30am to 10:30am. Torch Relay from Nathan Phillips Square [east side near Bay & Albert Sts.] to the Direct Energy Centre [DEC]. Deputy Mayor Joe Pantalone and Mayor Spyridon Zagaras will ceremonially light the Torch. Eight relay runners, accompanied by school children will then carry the Torch in approximately 500m stages -- south on Bay, west on Front, south on Bathurst, south-west on Fort York Boulevard, west on Lakeshore through the Princes Gates to the Direct Energy Centre, Exhibition Place. An approximately 4km route, His Worship Mayor David Miller will run the final leg with the Torch. Other Torch bearers include John Stanton, OBE, Minister Peter Fonseca, Ed Whitlock, and Silvia Ruegger.
Further announcements will be made regarding the final list of celebrity Torch Relay runners.
10:30am to 11:00am. Marathon Flame lighting Ceremony, DEC, Exhibition Place. Mayor Miller will run the final stage to hand the Torch to Greek Consul General in Toronto, Dimitris Azemopoulos, and other dignitaries for the Flame Lighting in a specially made cauldron. An elaborate Flame Lighting Ceremony has been created by Nancy Athan-Mylonas, Artistic Director of the Greek Community of Toronto and members of the community throughout the GTA, that will last until 11am.
11:00am to 11:30am Press Conference, Main stage in the Expo, Exhibit Hall D, DEC. Expo opens to the public [free], and Flame burns until 6pm Saturday evening, 25th.
11:30am to 12 noon. Greek music and entertainment on-stage in the Expo.
12 noon. The first of Roger Robinson's presentations on the stage at the Expo on the 2,500th Anniversary and what it means today.
Saturday, September 25th.
9:00am. International Friendship Run. An easy jog of approximately 3 kilometres with John Stanton and Roger Robinson from the Commerce Court Running Room, Wellington just west of Yonge.
10:00am to 6pm. Expo open at DEC.
6:00pm. Pasta Dinner with keynote address from Roger Robinson, "The 2,500th Anniversary of Marathon: The story and the message. Who ran? Who won? Who died? And what it means for every runner this weekend." At Marriott Downtown Eaton Centre, Bay St. across from City Hall. Some tickets still available
The Marathon Flame and cauldron will be moved on Saturday night to the Main stager, Nathan Phillips Square in preparation for Sunday's Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon races.
Sunday, September 26th. Race Day.
7:20am National anthems of Greece and Canada to be sung before the Start, at the Start line, University Avenue at Adelaide.
7:30am. Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon & Half marathon START on University at Adelaide
8:35am approx. Half marathon winners cross finish line on Bay, just north of Queen.
9:15am to 1:30pm. Join Consul Azemopoulos and the Greek Communities of Toronto, Missisauga and Markham, plus Hellenic Hope Centre, at GREEK TOWN Neighbourhood Cheering & Entertainment Centre at 39km mark on the Course, Eastern Avenue at Broadview for a free mini-festival of Greek music, dancing, refreshments, children's games and fun! Celebrate in Greek style and cheer on all the marathon runners, while helping raise funds for 4 community charities.
9:37am to 10am. approx. Marathon winners cross the Finish line on Bay St. Possible fastest-marathon times ever run on Canadian soil for Men & Women, Canadian national record and London 2012 marathon qualifying attempts by Canada's Eric Gillis, Reid Coolsaet and Matt Loiselle.Short presentation of Laurel Wreaths to champions at the Finish line.
10:00am to 12 noon. Greek and other music and entertainment on the Main Stage in Nathqan Phillis Square, next to the Marathon Flame.
12 noon to 1:00pm. Awards Ceremony, Main stage in the Square. Presentation of Laurel Wreaths to Champions
2pm. Flame Extinguishing and Closing Ceremony, Main stage, Nathan Phillips Square.
For a complete account of the Marathon Flame and it's meaning, plus the 2,500th Anniversary celebrations at Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon Weekend, see TorontoWaterfrontMarathon.com.
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