Mediterranean Hegemon of Ancient Greece Chapter 1261: An Unconventional Race (1)

The bronze circular basin on the altar had been filled with olive oil. The moment a torch touched the surface, flames erupted, radiating waves of heat in all directions.

Amid the crowd's cheers, Max stared through the searing flames and seemed to see familiar faces. One by one, they smiled at him, their voices ringing out loud and strong: "Yes, Captain!" Then, under his lead, they roared the name of Hades and charged into the fleeing enemy...

Two trails of hot tears rolled down Max's cheeks.

Supported by the two youths, Max reached the arena's exit. Only then did his emotions settle, and he quickly thanked the boys.

One of the youths waved his hand. "No need to thank us, uncle! My name is Christod. Crotokatax is my father."

The other boy immediately chimed in, "I... I'm Aenon. Adoris is my father!"

"Lord Commander?! ... Grand Captain?!" Max froze. It felt as if the heavens themselves had ordained this, plunging his thoughts straight back into that bloody battle. Overwhelmed by churning emotions, he pulled the two boys into a tight embrace and wept aloud...

...

Meanwhile, inside the arena, Chalcides, the head of the referee delegation, strode through the ranks of athletes to stand before the altar. Meeting their scrutinizing gazes, he declared in a solemn, ringing voice: "By the gods above, I, Chalcides, acting as a referee for these games, swear before these tens of thousands of spectators that I will treat every athlete with absolute fairness. I will strictly govern every event according to the rules, and I will handle every dispute with utmost responsibility... Should I break this oath, I invite your divine punishment!"

Many spectators from the Greek city-states were left stunned by the vow. Although the Theonian Rugby Games featured an oath-taking ceremony just like previous Greek athletic festivals, there were glaring differences. First, whether at the Olympic Games, the Pythian Games, the Corinthian Games, or the Nemean Games... the oaths were always sworn to a single principal deity. Swearing an oath to all the gods like this seemed almost frivolous. If something truly went wrong, which god would step up to deliver the divine punishment?

Second, in all past games, only the athletes swore the oath. The priests acting as referees were exempt, as they were the respected earthly spokesmen of the gods. How could they possibly cheat during the games? In reality, however, there were frequent cases of priests accepting bribes from athletes or even entire city-states to blatantly alter the results. Yet, at the Theonian Rugby Games, the priests were the first to swear, displaying the Kingdom of Daunia's deep commitment to the event and its resolve to stamp out cheating in the athletic contests.

Third, in traditional games, athletes swore their oaths inside temples, guided by priests before a divine statue—a highly private affair shielded from the audience. This time, the oath was sworn right in the center of the arena. Furthermore, the vow explicitly mentioned taking "the spectators as witnesses." This greatly pleased the crowd; after all, while divine punishment was an intangible concept, the anger of the people could be expressed quite directly.

Regardless, the novel oath-taking ceremony of the Theonian Rugby Games successfully sparked fervent discussion among the audience.

Down on the field, an athlete representing Thurii stepped forward to lead all the competitors in a similar solemn vow. The mighty roar of several thousand voices echoed across the entire stadium, causing an even greater sensation.

Amidst the lively chatter of the spectators, the opening ceremony of the Theonian Rugby Games finally concluded. The ranks of referees and athletes began to exit the field in an orderly fashion.

For the most part, the audience felt as though they hadn't seen enough. Even the most critical representatives from Olympia, Delphi, and Corinth—who firmly believed their own city-states' games possessed greater sanctity—had to admit that their opening ceremonies were too brief, lacking in spectacle, and overly private. They fell far short of the Theonian Rugby Games' opening ceremony when it came to capturing the eyes of ordinary spectators.

"Your Majesty, just as you mentioned in your invitation, the opening ceremony of these games truly is grand in scale and refreshingly novel. It has opened my eyes, and I feel as though I haven't watched nearly enough!" Plato praised sincerely.

Xenophon wanted to retort, but ultimately kept the words to himself.

Davos laughed heartily. "This opening ceremony has been going on for several hours, and it's already noon. According to the customs of the Theonians, it is time for lunch. It's perfectly fine if you haven't seen enough; the best parts are still to come. Let's have lunch, and then we'll continue watching the rest of the events."

The Theonian Rugby Games did not feature only the opening ceremony on their first day; the 100-meter dash was scheduled right after.

This had been Davos's suggestion. He intended to use this one-two punch to send a clear message to anyone doubting the success of the Theonian Rugby Games: "Not only is the opening ceremony spectacular, but the competitions themselves are exhilarating!" He aimed to ignite the viewing passion of every local citizen and foreign visitor present in Thurii.

Over lunch, Xenophon voiced his doubts. "Davos, when I entered the arena, I saw the notice posted on the entrance wall. Aside from this opening ceremony, there will be a 100-meter preliminary race up next. Does this 'hundred meters' actually mean a distance of 100 meters? Did your Theonian Rugby Games alter the traditional running distances of the Greek games as well?"

The weights and measures implemented by the Kingdom of Daunia upon its founding were vastly different from those of other Greek city-states. As national power grew and trade with other city-states became increasingly frequent, Daionia's weights and measures were gradually embraced by foreign merchants due to their more systematic, precise, and practical nature. When the Greek League was established and Daionia became the undisputed hegemon of all Greece, those few years saw Daionia's system steadily replacing the chaotic traditional measurements of the Greek city-states. Thus, both Xenophon and Plato were well acquainted with the concept of the "meter."

Davos took a sip of icy nectar and unhurriedly explained, "Research by the Theonia Akademia has proven that the distance a human being can sprint at absolute full power is around one hundred meters. As the distance increases, endurance begins to take over from explosive strength. Therefore, the 100-meter race is designed to test the absolute limit of speed a grown man can achieve during an all-out sprint."

"In that case, the shortest racing distance in previous games—which was roughly 192 meters—is... a test of an athlete's physical endurance to maintain that high speed after their initial full sprint?" Plato asked thoughtfully.

"Exactly," Davos nodded. "The 200-meter race in the Theonian Rugby Games, much like the shortest races in past games, is designed to achieve exactly that. Meanwhile, the 400-meter and 800-meter events lean much more toward testing pure endurance—"

"Then what about the Marathon?" Xenophon interrupted. "Is that entirely meant to test a grown man's speed and stamina? Davos, how did you ever think to use that as a competitive event?"

Although neither Xenophon nor Plato had any interest in the current government of Athens, they were Athenians at heart, equally proud of Athens' glorious past. Davos knew this well, so he spoke solemnly: "The Battle of Marathon holds immense significance for all Greeks. Hosting a race in its name will undoubtedly allow the Greek people, and indeed the people of the entire Mediterranean Sea, to forever cherish the memory of that distant history.

"As for the competition itself, the Marathon isn't just about testing the competitors' maximum endurance; it is a profound test of their willpower. Never mind winning the championship—simply persisting to finish the entire race is no easy feat."

"Indeed. Even Pheidippides, that legendary swift runner, running nonstop on the exhilaration of a battle victory, ultimately collapsed and died from exhaustion after finishing the entire distance. It is plain to see that the Marathon is an incredibly dangerous event!" Xenophon remarked, his expression turning grave.

"Yet despite that, a considerable number of Athenians have still registered for the event," Plato pointed out. "They clearly want to bring the glory of the Marathon championship back home to Athens."

"Then they will have to face the competition of Daionia's finest long-distance runners." Davos chuckled before turning serious again. "However, you needn't worry too much. We recognized the inherent dangers of this event and specifically deployed medical personnel along the entire route of the Marathon. The moment they spot anything wrong, they will immediately launch rescue efforts. Moreover, we've set a special rule for this race: competitors must pace themselves according to their capabilities. If their physical condition deteriorates, they are fully permitted to withdraw halfway through..."

...

While Davos and his two friends chatted about the games in the royal stands, the spectators weren't sitting idle either. Theonians had years of experience watching ball games and came well-prepared. Knowing they would be spending the whole day in the arena, the vast majority had brought lunch in advance and were now dining in their seats alongside their families.

Although the foreign spectators were not accustomed to eating a midday meal, an entire morning of incessant cheering and applauding had sapped their energy. Watching the Theonian spectators beside them taking large bites of food, they quickly began to feel hunger gnawing at them. Right on cue, numerous peddlers appeared in the aisles between the stands, hawking bread, salted fish, cured meat, dried fruits, and chilled nectars... which sold out in the blink of an eye.

As they ate, the spectators excitedly discussed the opening ceremony they had just witnessed. At the same time, they curiously observed the preparations down on the field, guessing exactly how the upcoming races would unfold.