The Runner and the Iliad

Andrew P. Howard (Gustavus Adolphus College)

In his study, The Greeks and the Irrational, E. R. Dodds examined the invocation of outside forces as explanations for behavioral anomalies in Greek epic. The purpose of this paper is to examine how in the Iliad, Homer utilizes such forces to explain the physiological changes that accompany running and by that, create a plausible explanation for the time and culture in which he was writing.

The first episode that will be examined is the race during the funeral games for Patroclus in Book XXIII. The distance the runners cover is critical for understanding all other details of this race. By examining muscle composition and tactics employed, it is the best conclusion that this is a middle-distance race, and because of that, an older man such as Odysseus is able to win. In the final stretches of the competition, the poet depicts two common physiological reactions in a language that explains the phenomena best for his world. First Homer describes the kick, or final sprint, and the blankness of emotion that comes with it as a result of Odysseus' prayer to Athena. Secondly, the failure of Ajax to win and his tumble to the ground, which he attributed to Athena, seems entirely in line with the process of "tying up" in which a runner's stride is altered and such things as stumbling are commonplace.

The other episode where insight into running is useful is the chasing and killing of Hector by Achilles. The language employed by Homer and the interruptions in the narrative of the chase to describe the landscape or to insert similes beautifully illustrates the perception of the runner, to whom the world seems to slow down and the little details emerge. Also there is a possible physiological explanation for the end of the chase and the experiences. After prolonged running (in this case some 7500 meters, utilizing Manfred Korfmann's estimates of the size of Troy) at a very hard pace can cause side effects including hallucinations. In the text, the poet writes that Athena in the guise of Deiphobos appeared to Hector and convinced him to stand and fight yet when the time for combat comes, Deiphobos disappears. This apparition can be attributed to a depletion in blood sugar levels by the demanding pace of the chase. Much can be gained by looking at the Iliad through the lens of sports science, by which details emerge that further enrich to the overall artistry of the work.