Freshly dipped in 24-karat gold olive wreaths have arrived from Marathon, Greece, to be awarded to the four winners of the 2015 Boston Marathon. The wreaths were presented by the Consul General of Greece, Ifigenia Kanara, to the Boston Athletic Association (B.A.A.) during a special ceremony at the Massachusetts State House on April 16, hosted by WBZ-TV’s Dan Roche.
The olive wreaths were first gilded in 2010 for the 2500-year anniversary of the Battle of Marathon that took place in 490 BC during the first Persian invasion of Greece. The initiative to crown Boston Marathon victors with Greek olive wreaths constitutes a reminder of the Hellenic roots of the ancient marathon race, as well as the indisputable connection of Ancient Athens and democracy to current American culture.
The 119th Boston Marathon is expected to lure approximately 30,000 runners along the 26.2-mile course from Hopkinton to Boston and over a million spectators. It should be mentioned that during the second anniversary of the tragic event of the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings, in which three spectators were killed and over 250 were injured, the city of Boston will take stricter protection measures.
Bomb detection dogs, security checkpoints and expanded video surveillance are set up along the route, while all visitors are kindly requested not to carry objects, such as containers, coolers, backpacks, handbags, suitcases, packages, weapons, props, fireworks, costumes or large blankets.
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