To mark the 43rd Athens Marathon on Sunday, November 8, 2026, Athens College and Psychico College Elementary Schools highlighted the value of effort and cooperation through the Marathon Reenactment, an educational activity held on Wednesday, November 4, at the Kantza campus.

The event is part of The Movement Journey, a six-year Personal, Social and Physical Education (PSPE) program within the IB Primary Years Programme (PYP). Through movement, students develop skills and values that stay with them in every aspect of their lives.

The program’s philosophy is reflected in the six stages of the students’ learning journey:

WE MOVE → WE THINK → WE CHALLENGE → WE GROW → WE LEAD → WE PERFORM

In the Marathon Reenactment, each grade had its own role. Grades 1 and 2 students cheered the runners on as spectators and supporters. Grade 3 students set up and ran the water stations under the guidance of Grade 5 students, who organized and coordinated the event.

Grade 4 students became modern-day messengers, following in the footsteps of Pheidippides on a journey through marathon history. They ran the course, recorded their own message at the finish line, and gave the experience a personal meaning. Grade 6 students connected the activity to their own athletic journeys and to how they have grown over their six years in Elementary School.

Through this collaboration, the students developed responsibility, mutual support, perseverance, and a spirit of healthy competition, and discovered that a collective effort succeeds only when everyone participates.

The Marathon Reenactment reminds us that the true value of the journey lies not only in crossing the finish line but, above all, in effort, consistency, and cooperation.