Marathon route to be ready next week

ATHENS, Greece (AP) -- Work to widen and resurface part of the Olympic marathon route will finish next week after months of delays, the public works ministry said Thursday.

Work to build facilities at the starting point and improve parts of the 26.2-mile route was held up when a contractor went bankrupt. A new company was appointed in March. Traffic never stopped along the route.

"On Monday, we will be able to enjoy the marathon route and starting point," Public Works Minister Giorgos Souflias said.

But work crews have not finished refurbishing the finish line: the marble stadium in central Athens that hosted the first modern Olympiad in 1896.

The race is named after the legend of Pheidippides, who ran from Marathon to Athens to announce the Greek victory over Persian invaders in 490 B.C.