As it turned out, it was another contest in Athens (in 1906, but without the status of a fully fledged Olympics) that reconfirmed the games as a Greek-inspired, but peripatetic, sports event.
After winning the silver medal at the 2004 AthensOlympics and a first-place finish in the 2009 New York City Marathon, Meb returned to the Games and improved upon his 2004 silver medal performance time by 23 seconds.