Storms develop over days, weeks, months even years. When the wind blows in your favour, you get lifted off the ground to reach speeds and highs you never thought possible. When you are hit by a headwind, you need to master all your resistance, to just hang on and not be pushed backwards.  

Much it has be talked about the loneliness of the long distance runner and. Although I have felt so many times, training for Spartathlon is a before and an after for me as amateur runner and as person.

Spartathlete at last. The sweetest finish. I have learned a new word in the last year or so. Patience. More importantly I have learned what it means.  If you are reading this then you may have to be patient too. 

First and most importantly I want to say thank you. Without the love and support of family and close buddies this kind of thing would not be possible. For me anyway - some people seem to be able to turn up and go by themselves, which is just incredible.

Πότε στ’ αλήθεια ξεκινάει το Σπάρταθλο; Μήπως ξεκινάει όταν κληρώνεσαι για να συμμετάσχεις; Τότε που μαζί με την κλήρωση ξεκινάει και η πολύμηνη προετοιμασία που είναι τόσο επίπονη που το μόνο που την απαλύνει είναι το όραμα του τερματισμού στο Βασιλιά;

This was my third Spartathlon; I previously ran in 2015 and 2016. My 2015 race report is fully detailed, if you are looking for all the intel you can get on the race, and what it's like to experience Spartathlon for the first time.

Those of us who took part in Spartathlon nine days ago, can readily attest to how crazy the planet’s weather is becoming. A hurricane – now known as a Medicane thanks to its Mediterranean location – in Greece… in September. Just when you thought this craziest of races couldn’t do more crazy, it managed to up things to another level of batshit.

It rains when I make a selfie with Albert at the foot of the Acropolis. The outlook for severe storms is uncommon for the Spartathlon. As I wander around restlessly I feel like a tourist who does not know what to do in the face of thousands of years of history. Despite my calm and self-confidence, there is uncertainty about what is to come today.

Διαβάστε Περισσότερα

Διαβάστε Περισσότερα

Είμαι ευγνώμων στο Θεό και τη ζωή που αξιώθηκα να τερματίσω 3 Σπάρταθλα σε 5 προσπάθειες. Είμαι επίσης ευγνώμων στη γυναίκα μου Πόπη που μου συμπαραστάθηκε με τη σκέψη και από κοντά (2012, 2017) καθώς επίσης και τους υποστηρικτές μου Χρήστο Γεωργάτο (2011), Σταύρο Μπούμπουκα και Στέφανο Κότσιαρη (2016, 2017) που όλοι τους υπήρξαν άψογοι οργανωτικοί και ηθικοί συμπαραστάτες.

The Spartathlon... The ultimate ultra-distance race, the iconic race that makes grown men cry, over a quarter of runners standing on the start line will not finish for various reasons, at least half of runners will cross a point during this journey where they no longer know who they are or what they are doing here, most crew members will shed a tear at some point during the race either through lack of sleep, sheer emotion or the desperate urge to go to the toilet but not being able to find one under the pressure of crewing.