On October 19, 1974, 23-year-old Zozo Christodoulou became the first Greek woman to run the Athens Marathon and finish proudly at the Panathenaic Stadium, despite the ironic comments of her male teammates and with the encouragement of the world. "Are you Greek? You will come out first!" shouted those who watched the marathon in the streets of Athens that day.
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Christodoulou was born in 1951 in Cairo and came to Athens at the age of 16. She started at the Filothei Athletic Club, being the only woman on the team, and later moved to Ethnikos, where she trained in the 100 and 200 meters, while gradually moving to 1,500 meters – the longest distance allowed for women at the time.
The '74 Marathon came at a time when women didn't even have their own locker room or the right to train on equal terms. With her stubbornness, however, Christodoulou paved the way for Greek women, making her dream come true, without caring to prove anything.
Zozo Christodoulou, then only 23 years old, did not aim to prove anything. "I just wanted to run the marathon," she said in an interview.
When she was training, her men mockingly shouted "go wash the dishes" and even her friends discouraged her by saying running would ruin her figure. None of this stopped her, however, and she continued her preparation with determination.
Arriving on race day, she wore the number 606 and with a time of 5 hours, 1 minute and 20 seconds, she finished at the Panathenaic Stadium, sixth among the women and leaving behind 200 men.
Among the 650 male athletes, there were only 44 women from Germany, while Christodoulou was the only Greek woman.
She recalls how along the way, people encouraged her by shouting "Are you Greek? You'll come out first!"
