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By Rob John ÌýÌý

Read by Mike Hugo

Ìý

I run.Ìý That’s my job.Ìý I run and carry messages.Ìý No one in the Greek army can run faster or further than me.

That’s why when they have a really important message they call for me: Pheidippides, the runner.

That’s why I’m running now.Ìý Got to get my message to Athens this morning before it’s too late. ÌýThis message is important.Ìý Can’t let them down.Ìý Got to get there as fast as I can.

Not going to be easy though.Ìý Athens is twenty-six miles away. ÌýAnd today, it’s hot.Ìý ÌýAnd there are mountains to cross. ÌýIt’s going to be tough. ÌýBut I can do it. ÌýI can do it ‘cause I am Pheidippedes, the best runner in the Greek army.

Been running for an hour now. ÌýIt’s hot and I’m running up a steep mountain track. ÌýTrying not to think about my aching legs. ÌýJust got to keep going. ÌýJust got to get the message through as fast as I can.

See, the people in Athens don’t know yet. ÌýThey don’t know that, today, we Greeks won a great battle. ÌýToday, we beat the Persians and chased them to the sea. Watched them as they scrambled onto their ships and sailed away.

We were happy ‘cause we’d won the battle, but then we stopped and thought: where are the Persians sailing?Ìý What if they’re sailing to our city? What if they’re planning to attack Athens?

The leader of our army said: ‘We’ve got to warn our people in the city. ÌýThey have to be ready for an attack’.Ìý That’s when he called for a messenger.Ìý Called for me, Pheidippedes, the best runner in the Greek army.

I’ve reached the top of the mountain. ÌýFrom here I can see the city in the distance, but it’s still another ten miles away. ÌýStill a long way to go. ÌýI drink water from my leather bottle, but I don’t stop running.Ìý

I’m running downhill now and that’s not easy.Ìý If you go too fast you can trip and twist your ankle. ÌýThe ground is uneven. ÌýThere are lots of loose stones. ÌýI’m running fast, but not too fast. ÌýI’m careful. ÌýKeeping my eyes on the ground. ÌýI’m not going to fall. My message is too important. ÌýI must not make a mistake. Ìý

Some people say: ‘why don’t they use men on horses to take messages? A horse can run much faster than a man,’ they say.Ìý But they don’t understand. ÌýA horse can’t run on a track like this. ÌýIt’s too steep. ÌýThe ground’s too dangerous. ÌýOn a track like this, there’s only one way to send a message fast. ÌýYou need someone on foot. Someone like me: Pheidippedes, the best runner in the Greek army.

The city’s getting closer. ÌýBut I’m tired. ÌýCan’t go much further. ÌýI just want to stop. ÌýIf I could just stop for a minute! ÌýIf I could just sit down on the ground, lie down maybe! Just for a minute? ÌýA minute won’t hurt!

But no! ÌýI am Pheidippedes. ÌýI don’t slow down. ÌýAnd I don’t stop running until I’ve delivered my message.

Now I’m running into the city.Ìý People are standing in the streets. ÌýThey see me coming. ÌýThey know I am a runner bringing a message to the city. ÌýThey call out to me: ‘What news? Was there a battle? Did we win?’Ìý I don’t answer their questions.Ìý I must deliver my message to the leaders of the city. ÌýI must save my breath for them.

And now I’m here.Ìý This is it. ÌýI’m running up steps. ÌýGuards see me coming. They know who I am. ÌýThey open the door of a huge building.

Oh, it is cool and dark in here. And I run. And I run. And here they are: the leaders of my city, waiting for my message.Ìý I’ve done it!

And now I can stop running.Ìý Tell them what they need to know. ÌýI feel proud, but people probably won’t remember my name.Ìý I’m just a runner. ÌýBut, maybe they will remember that a man, carrying a message, once ran twenty-six miles to Athens from a place called … Marathon.