<Ul> <Li> </Li> <Li> </Li> <Li> </Li> </Ul> <P> The men's marathon at the 2004 Summer Olympics took place on August 29 in the streets of Athens, Greece . These streets were recently painted for the event, which provided an excellent road surface for the athletes . Drawing upon the ancient origins of the race, the marathon began in Marathon, Greece, and eventually ended at Panathinaiko Stadium, the venue previously used for the 1896 Athens Olympics . </P> <P> The 26.2 miles (42.2 km) journey began in Marathon . The top contenders all found themselves in a large leading group that held a modest pace through the half marathon . A few tried to surge ahead but the most successful was Vanderlei De Lima's attack at 20k . Past 25k, Stefano Baldini raised the tempo taking seven others with him . Finally, the chase group had been whittled down to three: Stefano Baldini, Paul Tergat, and Mebrahtom Keflezighi . After 35k was passed, Tergat (the world record holder) cracked, leaving two runners to chase behind . Baldini then closed the gap to De Lima after the latter was attacked while dropping Keflezighi . Baldini moved into the lead and took it home for the gold medal in 2: 10: 55 . Keflezighi caught the fading De Lima as well to take the silver in 2: 11: 29 . Finishing at 2: 12: 11, De Lima was able to hold off Jon Brown, beating him by 15 seconds for the bronze . </P> <P> As with the previous Games, the marathon also marked the end of the 2004 Summer Olympics and the medal ceremony took place during the closing ceremony at the Olympic Stadium . </P>

Who won the marathon race in the 2004 athens olympics