Spartathlon is a 246-kilometre (153 mi) ultramarathon race held annually in Greece since 1983, between Athens and Sparti, the modern town on the site of ancient Sparta. The Spartathlon is based on the run of Pheidippides,[1] who ran from Athens to Sparta before the Battle of Marathon in a day and a half to seek aid against the Persians. Five Royal Air Force officers attempted the course in 1982 and the competition was started the next year.[2]
As the race grew more popular, stringent entry criteria were implemented to ensure participants were fit enough to run the course. The race has 75 checkpoints where race officials disqualify runners who fail to meet time cutoffs or who are too tired to continue.
In 2023, Camille Herron set a new women's course record of 22h 35min 31s, an improvement of 2h 12min 53s under the previous course record and the first woman under 24h. Fotis Zisimopoulos won for the third time and set a new men's course record in 19h 55min 9s, becoming the first athlete under 20h and broke the longheld record set by Yiannis Kouros in 1984.
The Spartathlon aims to trace the footsteps of Pheidippides, an Athenian messenger sent to Sparta in 490 BC to seek help against the Persians in the Battle of Marathon. Pheidippides, according to an account by Greek historian Herodotus, arrived in Sparta the day after he departed.[3] Herodotus wrote: "On the occasion of which we speak when Pheidippides was sent by the Athenian generals, and, according to his own account, saw Pan on his journey, he reached Sparta on the very next day after quitting the city of Athens."[4]
Based on this account, John Foden, an officer of the Royal Air Force and a long distance runner, went to Greece in 1982 with four officers to test whether it was possible to cover the nearly 250 kilometres (155 miles) in a day and a half (36 hours).[4] Three of them were successful in completing the distance: Foden himself in 37 hours and 37 minutes; John Scholtens in 34:30, and John McCarthy in 39:00.[5] The following year a team of enthusiastic supporters (British, Greek and other nationalities) based at the British Hellenic Chamber of Commerce in Athens and led by Philhellene Michael Callaghan organised the running of the first Open International Spartathlon Race. The event was run under the auspices of SEGAS, the Hellenic Amateur Athletics Association. Forty-four men and one woman from twelve countries were entered into the first Spartathlon in 1983.[6]
The Spartathlon is usually held around late September. Runners have 36 hours to run 246 kilometres (153 mi), roughly the equivalent of six consecutive marathons, between Athens and Sparti, the site of ancient Sparta. Runners have to deal with the Greek heat in the day, the cold of the night, and the mountainous terrain. There are 75 checkpoints along the way, where runners are disqualified for safety reasons if they fail to meet time cut-offs. Many runners have crews that support them during the race, such as helping them resupply at the checkpoints. Any non-finishers are picked up by a bus and taken to Sparta together.[3]
The race begins at 7:00 am, roughly when dawn breaks, at the foot of the Acropolis of Athens, near the Odeon of Herodes Atticus and the Agora of Athens.[3] The runners head westwards and the first major checkpoint is at 80 kilometres (50 mi), at the Corinth Canal on the Isthmus of Corinth that connects the Peloponnese to mainland Greece. Runners then proceed to the site of ancient Corinth.[3]
Runners ascend the 1,200 metres (3,900 ft) high Sangas mountain pass on Mount Parthenion, and then descend towards Tegea, which is about 200 kilometres (120 mi) from the start of the race. According to Herodotus, Pheidippides had a vision of Pan at Tegea, in what may be the first recorded case of exercise-induced hallucination. The rest of the race is a 50 kilometres (31 mi) downhill segment to the town of Sparta.[3]
The end of the race is a statue of Leonidas I, the Spartan king who died at the Battle of Thermopylae fighting the Persians ten years after Marathon, which is placed at the end of the main street in Sparta. Runners who finish the race receive a laurel wreath and water from schoolgirls dressed in chitons, and have access to medical tents. The national anthem of the winner is also played.[3]
No monetary award is given to any of the finishers, but winning the race is considered prestigious and generates publicity that is helpful in attracting sponsors. Unlike Pheidippides, none of the runners have to make the return run back to Athens.[3]
In order to run in this race an individual must have recently performed at least one of a number of qualifying feats, such as:
The criteria have been tightened at least once in the past and a ballot introduced, since the increasing prestige of the race and the gradual increase in the number of qualifying athletes mean that it is now always oversubscribed; however, elite athletes who can exceed the criteria by a large margin (25%, formerly 20%) are able to avoid the ballot and qualify automatically. Entries are now capped at 400 each year with non-automatic qualifiers chosen through a lottery system.
Camille Herron set a new women's course record in 2023 with a time of 22h 35min 31s, an improvement of 2h 12min 53s under the previous course record set by Patrycja Bereznowska in 2017. She became the first woman to run under 24 hours and placed third overall, the second time a woman has placed on the overall podium. She led 3 women under 24 hours and into the top 10 overall for the first time in the race's history. Mary Larsson holds the record for most wins by a woman with 5 wins.
Fotis Zisimopoulos set a new men's course record in 2023 with a time of 19h 55min 2s, the first runner under 20 hours and his third win. Yiannis Kouros holds the most wins by a man with four wins. In 2005, he decided to trace the steps of Pheidippides completely and ran—out of competition—the Athens–Sparta–Athens distance.
Hubert Karl of Germany holds the record for most finishes with 23. András Lőw of Hungary meanwhile holds the record for most consecutive finishes with 19.
In 2017, the 35th anniversary competition had a record 264 finishers under the 36-hour cut-off time. In 2018, the later stages of the race were substantially disrupted by the Medicane Zorbas, though almost all runners capable of finishing within the cut-off time were eventually able to do so.
Following are the winners of the Spartathlon:
Year
1st
Nationality
Time
2nd
Nationality
Time
3rd
Nationality
Time
1983
21:53:42
24:40:38
Alan Fairbrother
27:39:14
1984
20:25:00
23:44:00
Patrick Macke
24:32:05
1985
Patrick Macke
23:18:00
24:39:22
Jean Calbera
24:42:00
1986
21:57:00
26:07:00
Peter Mann
26:41:00
1987
24:41:46
Patrick Macke
26:41:51
James Zarei
27:27:16
1988
24:42:05
James Zarei
25:59:42
Georges Makris
26:47:00
1989
Patrick Macke
24:32:05
25:28:48
Seiichi Morikawa
26:08:18
1990
20:29:04
Patrick Macke
23:08:41
24:49:19
1991
24:15:31
James Zarei
26:48:50
George Stoakes
30:50:35
1992[7]
24:08:13
25:05:48
Roy Pirrung
28:33:02
25:57:12
Marcel Foucat
27:46:37
Milan Furin
28:51:37
1994
James Zarei
26:15:00
Kenji Okiyama
25:55:00
Peeter Kirppu
26:07:00
1995
James Zarei
25:59:42
Vasilios Chalkias
27:49:46
Kazuyoshi Ikeda
28:12:00
1996
26:21:00
27:55:00
Roy Pirrung
27:56:32
1997
Constantinos Reppos
23:37:00
Kenji Okiyama
25:55:00
28:11:00
1998
Constantinos Reppos
25:11:41
Kenzi (Kenji) Okiyama
26:13:13
James Zarei
26:44:04
1999
25:38:03
27:08:57
Jun Onoki
27:16:36
2000
Masayuki Ohtaki (Otaki, Ōtaki)
24:01:10
24:59:54
Cees Verhagen
25:35:50
2001
23:18:05
24:46:51
25:27:30
2002
23:47:54
25:16:56
Jeffry Oonk
26:58:55
2003
23:28:24
25:30:35
Jean-Jacques Moros
26:26:16
2004
25:49:59
26:20:02
Martin Juri
27:19:15
2005
24:20:39
Jean-Jacques Moros
25:03:30
26:34:42
2006
22:52:18
24:14:11
Masayuki Ohtaki (Otaki, Ōtaki)
25:19:12
2007
23:12:14
24:29:41
25:37:40
2008
22:20:01
24:52:09
Lars Skytte Christoffersen
25:29:41
2009
23:48:24
Lars Skytte Christoffersen
24:32:00
Jon Harald Berge
25:10:00
2010
Ivan Cudin [it]
23:03:06
Jan Albert Lantink
23:31:00
Jan Prochaska
24:56:00
2011
Ivan Cudin [it]
22:57:40
Yuji Sakai
24:22:24
Michael Vanicek
24:55:59
2012
Stu Thoms
26:28:19[10]
Tetsuo Kiso
26:36:23
27:14:25
2013
João Oliveira
23:28:31
25:29:11
Ivan Cudin [it]
25:53:44
2014
Ivan Cudin [it]
22:27:57
23:56:19
Andrzej Radzikowski
25:48:25
2015
23:16:44
23:53:05
Hansen Kim
23:53:52
2016
Andrzej Radzikowski
23:02:23
Marco Bonfiglio
23:36:58
24:07:29
2017
22:04:04
22:49:37
Nikolaos Sideridis
22:58:40
2018
Yoshihiko Ishikawa
22:55:13
23:37:25
João Oliveira
24:34:30
2019
Bódis Tamás
23:29:24
Csécsei Zoltán
24:16:59
24:26:20
2021
21:57:36
23:17:49
Milan Sumny
23:53:19
2022
21:00:48
Toru Somiya
21:18:04
Yoshihiko Ishikawa
23:06:45
2023
19:55:09 (Course Record)
22:17:23
Fernando Andres Martinez Roman
23:32:59
Time = hours:minutes:seconds
Year
1st
Nationality
Time
2nd
Nationality
Time
3rd
Nationality
Time
1983
Eleanor Robinson (formerly Adams)
32:37:52
—
—
—
—
—
—
1984
Mary Hanudel (later Mary Larsson [sv])
30:27:00
Marcy Schwam
Lorna Richey (later Lorna Michael)
34:15:10
—
—
—
1985
Mary Hanudel (later Mary Larsson [sv])
34:10
—
—
—
—
—
—
1986
Mary Hanudel (later Mary Larsson [sv])
31:46:45
Waltraud Reisert
33:21:00
—
—
—
1987
Hilary Walker
31:23:30
Waltraud Reisert
35:31:56
-
-
-
1988
—
1989
Mary Hanudel (later Mary Larsson [sv])
31:57:23
Monika Kuno
34:10:00
Eiko Endo
34:36:49
1990
Anne-Marie Deguilhem
34:07:41
35:08:03
35:31:30
1991
Ursula Blasberg
34:42:45
—
—
—
—
—
—
1992
Hilary Walker
31:23:30
33:47:00
Miyako Yoshikoshi
33:47:52
1993
Sigrid Lomsky
32:46:17
33:47:12
Miyako Yoshikoshi
34:18:00
1994
30:39:00
Kazuko Kaihata
34:12:17
Miyako Yoshikoshi
34:33:21
1995
29:33:00
Miyako Yoshikoshi
33:47:52
Kimie Funada (later Kimie Noto)
34:53:34
1996
29:50:00
30:27:00
Kimie Funada (later Kimie Noto)
34:12:00
1997
30:39:00
Kimie Funada (later Kimie Noto)
33:36:00
Heike Pawzik
33:46:00
1998
28:46.58
Kimie Funada (later Kimie Noto)
29:32:21
Helga Backhaus
29:53:49
1999
Anny Monot
35:38:08
Kimie Funada (later Kimie Noto)
35:41:31
—
—
—
2000
Hiroko Okiyama
29:16:37
30:56:16
Helga Backhaus
31:35:24
2001
Alzira Portela-Lario
30:31:41
Kimie Funada (later Kimie Noto)
33:49:17
Heike Pawzik
34:41:10
2002
28:10:48
Hiroko Okiyama
30:25:49
Mayumi Okabe
31:33:35
2003
Akiko Sakamoto
29:07:44
29:38:54
Barbara Szlachetka
31:50:23
2004
29:57:40
Hiroko Okiyama
31:01:17
Anke Drescher
32:55:26
2005
30:23:07
Elke Streicher
32:19:59
Anke Drescher
32:52:23
2006
28:37:20
Takako Furuyama
31:40:31
31:41:56
2007
31:09:24
31:56:03
32:11:05
2008
Sook-Hue Hur
30:03:22
Stacey Bunton
31:25:59
Heinlein Marika
31:39:19
2009
27:39:49
Yoshiko Matsuda
31:16:00
Lisa Bliss
32:27:00
2010
Emily Gelder
30:17:03
Heather Fouwdlink-Hawker
32:43:00
Yoshiko Matsuda
33:31:00
2011
29:07:39
Ruth Podgornik Res
32:17:19
Mimi Anderson
32:33:23
2012
Elizabeth Hawker (also 3rd overall that year)[3]
27:02:17[10]
Leonie van den Haak
28:42:36
29:45:56
2013
28:03:04
Antje Krause
30:07:15
Heike Bergmann
30:22:03
2014
26:53:40
28:55:03
Eva Esnaola
30:52:41
2015
25:06:05
Alyson Venti
26:50:51
29:18:44
2016
25:22:26
Smith Pam
27:11:53
Zsuzsanna Maraz
27:44:01
2017
24:48:18
Zsuzsanna Maraz
25:43:40
26:28:48
2018
Zsuzsanna Maraz
27:05:28
Kateřina Kašparová
27:47:16
Teija Honkonen
28:36:08
2019
Zsuzsanna Maraz
30:16:18
Irina Masanova
31:18:08
Natasa Robnik
32:15:31
2021
Diana Dzaviza
25:24:25
Zsuzsanna Maraz
26:00:14
Noora Honkala
26:27:14
2022
Diana Dzaviza
25:03:07
Marisa Lizak
25:34:00
Mica Morgan
27:23:44
2023
22:35:31 (Course Record)
23:23:03
23:48:34
Athlete
Time
Country
Year
Place
Age
1
22:35:31
USA
2023
1
41
2
23:23:03
FIN
2023
2
31
3
23:48:34
FIN
2023
3
27
4
24:48:18
POL
2017
1
41
5
25:03:41
LAT
2022
1
35
6
25:07:12
USA
2015
1
36
7
25:23:52
USA
2016
1
37
8
25:24:25
LAT
2021
1
34
9
25:34:18
USA
2022
2
43
10
25:43:40
HUN
2017
2
47
11
26:00:14
HUN
2021
2
51
12
26:27:14
FIN
2021
3
29
13
Aleksandra Niwińska
26:28:48
POL
2017
3
31
14
Alyson Venti
26:50:51
USA
2015
2
33
15
26:53:40
HUN
2014
1
40
16
Stine Rex
26:58:16
DEN
2017
4
38
17
27:02:17
GBR
2012
1
36
18
Marisa Lizak
27:05:08
USA
2021
4
42
19
27:05:28
HUN
2018
1
48
20
Pam Smith
27:13:31
USA
2016
2
42
21
27:16:26
HUN
2019
1
49
22
Veronika Jurisic
27:19:27
CRO
2017
5
40
23
Micah Morgan
27:24:01
USA
2022
3
39
24
27:39:49
JPN
2009
1
43
25
27:45:42
HUN
2016
3
46
26
Kateřina Kašparová
27:47:16
CZE
2018
2
32
27
Szvetlana Zétényi
27:57:49
HUN
2023
4
47
28
28:03:04
HUN
2013
1
39
29
Irina Reutovich
28:10:48
RUS
2002
1
52
30
Antje Krause
28:13:57
GER
2017
6
45
31
Irina Masanova
28:18:16
RUS
2019
2
35
32
Rex Stine
28:18:35
DEN
2023
5
44
33
Szvetlana Zétényi
28:26:25
HUN
2021
5
45
34
Teija Honkonen
28:36:08
FIN
2018
3
41
35
Georgia Manta
28:36:15
GRE
2018
4
41
36
28:37:20
JPN
2006
1
40
37
Leonie den van Haak
28:42:36
NLD
2012
2
31
38
Mary Larsson-Hanudel
28:46:58
USA
1998
1
38
39
Cat Simpson
28:52:03
GBR
2018
5
34
40
28:55:03
USA
2014
2
35
41
Ali Young
28:57:04
GBR
2022
4
49
42
29:06:50
HUN
2011
1
37
43
Sarah Mangler
29:10:13
GER
2023
6
41
44
Martha Xirofotou
29:14:22
GRE
2023
7
40
45
29:15:39
SLO
2019
3
44
46
29:18:44
HUN
2015
3
41
47
Natasa Robnik
29:27:15
SLO
2015
4
40
48
Ali Young
29:28:41
GBR
2023
8
50
49
Paula Vrdoljak
29:31:58
CRO
2023
9
42
50
Kimie Noto (Funada)
29:32:21
JPN
1998
2
47
Athlete
Time
Country
Year
Place
Age
1
19:55:09
GRE
2023
1
41
2
20:25:00
GRE
1984
1
28
3
20:29:04
GRE
1990
1
34
4
21:00:48
GRE
2022
1
39
5
Toru Somiya
21:18:04
JPN
2022
2
42
6
21:53:42
GRE
1983
1
27
7
21:57:00
GRE
1986
1
30
8
21:57:36
GRE
2021
1
38
9
22:04:04
LTU
2017
1
36
10
22:17:23
NOR
2023
2
46
11
22:20:01
USA
2008
1
34
12
Ivan Cudin [it]
22:29:29
ITA
2014
1
39
13
22:49:37
CZE
2017
2
42
14
22:52:18
USA
2006
1
32
15
Yoshihiko Ishikawa
22:55:13
JPN
2018
1
30
16
Ivan Cudin [it]
22:57:40
ITA
2011
1
36
17
Nikolaos Sideridis
22:58:40
GRE
2017
3
36
18
Andrzej Radzikowski
23:02:23
POL
2016
1
35
19
Ivan Cudin [it]
23:03:06
ITA
2010
1
35
20
Yoshihiko Ishikawa
23:06:45
JPN
2022
3
34
21
Patrick Macke
23:08:41
GBR
1990
2
35
22
23:12:14
USA
2007
1
33
23
23:17:31
GER
2015
1
31
24
23:17:49
CZE
2021
2
48
25
Patrick Macke
23:18:00
GBR
1985
1
30
26
23:18:05
BRA
2001
1
37
27
23:20:56
JPN
2017
4
29
28
23:23:53
HUN
2022
4
46
29
23:28:24
AUT
2003
1
39
30
Joao Oliveira
23:29:08
POR
2013
1
36
31
Bodis Tamas
23:29:24
HUN
2019
1
31
32
Jan Lantink-Albert
23:31:22
HOL
2010
2
52
33
Fernando Andres Martinez Roman
23:32:59
URU
2023
3
48
34
Marco Bonfiglio
23:36:58
ITA
2016
2
39
35
Kostas Reppos
23:37:00
GRE
1997
1
31
36
23:37:25
CZE
2018
2
44
37
Valdenir Jandosa
23:37:33
BRA
2023
4
44
38
Peter Gaspar
23:41:56
HUN
2023
5
42
39
23:44:00
YUG
1985
2
32
40
23:47:54
JPN
2002
1
35
41
23:48:24
JPN
2009
1
42
42
Milan Sumny
23:53:19
CZE
2021
3
45
43
23:53:32
GBR
2015
2
42
44
Kim Hansen
23:54:37
DEN
2015
3
40
45
23:57:13
GER
2014
2
30
46
Ohtaki Masayuki
24:01:10
JPN
2000
1
34
47
24:07:29
CZE
2016
3
42
48
24:08:13
BUL
1992
1
34
49
Georgios Dimoulas
24:13:54
GRE
2023
6
28
50
24:14:11
JPN
2006
2
39