The Ancient Games’ Initial Sole Competition
Unlike modern runners who start from a crouch, ancient Greek sprinters took off from an upright position, with their arms stretched out before them. They were also naked. By the fifth century BC at the latest, there was a stone start line, known as the balbis. In due course, double grooves about four to four and a half inches apart were carved into the balbis. They gave runners toeholds from which to launch themselves at the start of the race. Muscles tensed and coiled, the stadion sprinters awaited the start of the race. Behind and to their sides hovered officials to ensure that nobody took off too early. Before them lay a packed earth track, at the end of which were more officials. Their task was to decide the winner – and spot and disqualify any cheaters. If the officials determined that it was a tie, the race would be rerun.
Finally, the start signal came – a sharp trumpet blow. The competitors exploded into action, took off, and within a few frantic seconds, the race was over. Since the stadion was the original Olympics’ sole competition, those few seconds encapsulated the entirety of the athletic portion of the original games. However, it is hard to grasp today just how important those few seconds were to the participants. The ancient Greeks often dated events not by a numbered calendar like we do today, but by four-year Olympiads. The Olympiads were named after the stadion winner. Thus, the winner literally won a place in the history books.
