Every four years starting in 776 BC until 393 AD athletes from all over the Greek speaking world met at ancient Olympia to compete in a variety sports (not team sports). The prize was an olive wreath and a boatload of prestige that came with lavish treatment and honor in their home cities.
This short video below (2:24) is exceptionally good for the computer generated tour of ancient Olympia that ends by going through the tunnel (now mostly gone) that ancient athletes walked to reach the stadium. If you have the energy, you may run the stadium, but please wear clothes (ancient athletes competed naked).
This Khan Academy essay is a must-read for an overview of the ancient Olympic Games and the types of sporting events that took place in antiquity. For the essay clickhere (Link to Website)
Xavier Students Running at the Ancient Olympic Stadium
Finally, here are two short videos of Xavier students running the stadium at ancient Olympia. This first video shows the group getting off to a good start and making it to the end.
Winner of the Laurel Wreath
I trimmed about 40 seconds from the original because the students forgot that the official Olympic Games required runners to not just run the course to the other side, but also to run back. The first to realize this was Michael Daley, who won a beautiful laurel wreath, which Molly Anglum made for him on the spot. The others moved forward and started from a shorter distance, but they all eventually crossed the finished line. It might not look that far, but in the hot sun, it's not so easy
