Mediterranean Hegemon of Ancient Greece Chapter 1262: A Different Kind of Footrace (2)

Dozens of athletes remained on the field. They were all competitors for the upcoming 100-meter dash. Although the Games' organizing committee had prepared lunch for them, most of the athletes hadn't eaten right away, choosing instead to stay on the track to warm up and get used to the grounds.

On the side closer to the royal box, staff members drove wooden stakes into either end of the pre-measured track. They tied long, thin ropes between the stakes, pulling them taut across the ground. Then, referees holding long-handled iron ladles followed the ropes, tracing hundred-meter-long, perfectly straight white lines across the hard dirt...

"I was wondering earlier how they were going to hold a footrace when this stadium doesn't have starting stone slabs or a row of finish-line pillars. Now I understand. Those lines drawn with white powder are the starting line, the finish line, and the individual lanes. It's actually incredibly clear!"

"But I counted them. They've only drawn out six lanes with the white lines. Are they really only letting six competitors race at a time? I remember at other Games, there were over a dozen stone pillars at the finish line alone, and over a dozen athletes racing simultaneously..."

"That's no big deal, they just have to run a few more heats! The key is that having fewer competitors in a single race prevents chaos and makes it easier for the referees to supervise. It seems the Theonians have seriously studied the flaws of other Games and genuinely want to make this one a success."

The speaker was Harpius, a middle-aged citizen from the city-state of Orchomenus in the Arcadian League. In his youth, he had competed in the footraces of various Games many times. Later, when he grew too old to compete, he became an avid spectator. His greatest regret was never winning a championship. He had come agonizingly close once, only for an adjacent runner to strike him in the face with a swinging arm, ruining his final time. He had appealed to the referees, but to no avail. Because of this, he deeply despised certain flaws of the Greek Games.

Harpius was a veteran sports fan. Upon learning that Daionia, the hegemon of the Greek World, was hosting its own Games, he rushed over without hesitation and luckily managed to buy a ticket for the opening ceremony. Before entering the arena, he had held a critical attitude, fully prepared to pick apart the Theonian Rugby Games. But after the opening ceremony concluded, his favorable impression of the Theonian Rugby Games skyrocketed. The unprecedented novelty of the ceremony was secondary; most importantly, he felt the tangible respect the Theonian Rugby Games showed toward the competing athletes.

Speaking from experience, he deeply understood the hardships of being an athlete. Beyond the relentless, grueling daily training, an athlete had to travel alone to the venue before the Games began, pay for their own food and lodging, report to the temple in time to register, and submit to detailed questioning by the priests. There were the tedious pre-race preparations, the tension and anxiety with no one to help ease them, and after the race, all the glory went to the champion. As for the losers, even if they were injured, no one cared to check on them...

But this time, the Theonian Rugby Games were distinctly different. He had chatted with athletes from the Arcadian League earlier: Daionia not only provided free, comfortable accommodation and meals for all competitors, but also required the participating city-states to dispatch officials specifically to handle the athletes' assorted errands. This meant the athletes could throw themselves entirely into the competition without worrying about anything else. And during the opening ceremony, the Theonians had arranged for the athletes to parade around the stadium, receiving the tributes and cheers of so many spectators...

Harboring such goodwill toward the event, Harpius naturally hoped the Theonian Rugby Games would continue to shine as they entered the competition phase. Observing the field's layout with his experienced, critical eye, he quickly noticed some details that differed from past Games.

"I heard earlier that the Theonian Rugby Games wouldn't just feature a 100-meter dash, but also 200-meter, 400-meter, and 800-meter races... After I entered this venue, I found there were no stone pillars acting as markers, and I kept wondering how they would run the long-distance races (in the Greek Games, during long-distance events, athletes run from the starting stone slab to the finish line pillar, round the pillar, and run back, looping back and forth like this until the distance is covered, similar to a modern shuttle run). Now I understand.

"Look! The Theonians have paved a massive circle around the entire stadium using small stone bricks. Then, just like they're doing now, they draw out individual lanes around the outside of the ring with lime powder. The competitors race around this large circle. Let alone a few hundred meters, even several thousand meters can be held easily. This is much simpler than running around a stone pillar!"

Harpius had deep feelings about the long-distance racing methods of past Games. Drawing on his decades of sports experience, he spoke logically and infectiously, naturally attracting a group of spectators. With him at the center, they engaged in an earnest discussion.

Just then, someone shouted, "Look up! Good heavens, the Theonians are blocking out the sky!"

The foreign spectators tilted their heads back one after another, their mouths dropping open in astonishment. High above the Main Arena, long strips of white cloth were slowly converging toward the exact center of the sky over the field, piecing together to form a thin white canopy. It covered the stadium, blocking out the midday sun beating straight down and providing the audience with cool shade.

Visiting the Daionian arena for the first time, Xenophon felt just as amazed as the other foreign spectators. He couldn't help but ask, "How is this done?"

Davos answered with a calm expression, "It's actually quite simple. There are 200 wooden poles erected along the top edge of the arena. Each pole is connected to the one directly across from it, passing through the center of the field, via pulleys and thin ropes. On days with scorching sun and scheduled events, the arena staff attach specially-made cloth strips to the ropes on each pole. Then, by turning the pulleys, they can push the fabric strips to converge in the center of the sky... However, while we comfortably enjoy all this, let's not forget that there are over a hundred staff members up at the top of the arena, enduring the blazing sun to serve us..."

"Though it sounds simple, the design is highly ingenious!" Plato sighed in heartfelt admiration beside him. "The key is this spirit—not merely enduring a difficulty when faced with it, but doing everything possible to solve it and striving to achieve the best. That is incredibly rare! We Greeks are relatively unrefined in our daily lives and don't pay much attention to detail. But the Theonians are different. They have high standards for life, which allows this inquisitive spirit of striving for the best to permeate every aspect of the entire kingdom... That is why I have full confidence in Daionia hosting these Games. Not only will they succeed, but they will definitely give all Greeks a new understanding of what the Games can be!"

"Hahaha..." Davos laughed heartily. "Oh, Plato, you can spin a grand philosophy out of the smallest trifle!"

Xenophon didn't speak. He stared at the canopy above, deep in thought.

Just as the foreign spectators were marveling at the Main Arena's ingenious design, the athletes began to leave the field. This caused some confusion among the audience. "Are they not holding the footrace anymore?"

But experienced spectators like Harpius spoke with absolute certainty: "No, the footrace is about to begin!"

Just as they said, the athletes headed into the waiting rooms beside the arena entrance. Since the Daionian ball games were held every year, these rooms, specifically dedicated for players to rest, were very comfortably furnished. However, the athletes were in no mood to appreciate this. They stripped off the formal attire they had worn during the opening procession and changed into the shorts specially provided by Daionia. Then, they began to carefully and evenly rub olive oil over their bodies. Once this was done, everyone began to pray devoutly to Apollo to soothe their nervous minds.

A moment later, a priest walked in and announced loudly, "Competitors, it is time for the race. Please enter the field!"

Upon hearing this, Siritheos, whose mood had finally calmed, immediately felt his heart start to race again.

The dozens of athletes returned to the field once more, and the priests gathered them together. Because this was the very first event of the Theonian Rugby Games, Chalcides, the head of the referee panel, personally stepped up to officiate to ensure everything went smoothly. The usually amiable old priest looked dead serious right now. He spoke in a powerful voice: "Competitors, I believe that after practicing for this long, you should be very familiar with the rules for the footraces of the Theonian Rugby Games. But before we begin, I must emphasize them one more time. Only those whose names are called may participate in the race; all others must stay far away from the track and not interfere. You may only start running after the referee gives the command to begin. Before starting, your feet must not cross the starting line. After starting, you cannot deviate from your own lane, interfere with other runners, or deliberately obstruct or harm them..."

"If you violate any of the above rules, you will be disqualified! In cases of deliberate or extremely severe violations, the referee panel will report the competitor to the organizing committee. They will decide whether to carve that competitor's face onto the Wall of Discipline at the soon-to-be-built Theonian Rugby Games Memorial, serving as a warning to all future athletes! Is that clear to everyone?!"

"Clear!" the competitors nodded and responded one after another.

Only then did Chalcides reveal a faint smile. Turning his palms toward the sky, he said gently, "May Hades protect you!"

Then, a priest holding the athlete roster shouted, "Attention, everyone! The competitors I name will run in the first heat. Siritheos! Lane One!"

Siritheos stared blankly. He was the very first one called. Wasn't this luck a little too good?!