Spartathlon

Spartathlon is a 246-kilometre (153-mile) ultramarathon race held annually in Greece since 1983, between Athens and Sparta, the modern town on the site of ancient Sparta. The Spartathlon is based on the run of Pheidippides,^[1] an Athenian messenger who travelled 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]

Considered one of the most difficult ultramarathons because of its stringent cutoff times, hilly terrain, limited crew support opportunities and hot weather, the race has gained exceptional popularity, attracting runners from each continent. Entry spots are also highly coveted as organizers limit the field to 400, forcing most applicants into a lottery.

Spartathletes must run from Athens along the coast of the Megara Gulf, across the Isthmus of Corinth and over Mount Parthenion before descending into Sparta, passing through 75 check points.

Origin

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]

Race

The Spartathlon is usually held around late September to roughly coincide with the date of the Battle of Marathon. 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]

Entry requirements

In order to run in this race an individual must have recently performed at least one of a number of qualifying feats, such as:

• Finishing a race of at least 100 km (62 mi) in less than 10 hours (male) or 10 hours 30 minutes (female).
• Competing in an event of more than 200 km (120 mi) and completing it in less than 29 hours (male) or 30 hours (female).
• Competing in Spartathlon within the two previous years and overcoming the mountain to reach the Nestani checkpoint at 172 km (107 mi) in less than 24 hours 30 minutes.

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.

Records

Fotis Zisimopoulos of Greece holds the course record with a time of 19 hours 55 minutes and 2 seconds, set in 2023. He is the first and only runner so far to break 20 hours. Zisimopoulos and Yiannis Kouros hold the record for most wins among men, with four each while Sweden's Mary Larsson has the overall record with five wins. Camille Herron holds the women's course record with a time of 22 hours 35 minute and 31 seconds set in 2023. Herron was the first woman to run under 24 hours and placed third overall.

Hubert Karl of Germany holds the record for most finishes with 25. 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:

Men

Women

^[11]

Time = hours:minutes:seconds

All-Time top 50 Women's performances

All-time top 50 Men's performances

^[12][13]

References

1. ^ "Spartathlon – Home Page". www.spartathlon.gr. Retrieved 2021-10-03.
2. ^ Crockett, Davy (19 September 2021). "Spartathlon Part 1 (1982) – The Birth". Ultrarunning History. Retrieved 23 January 2022.
3. ^ "The lunacy of the long-distance runner". The Economist. 22 December 2012. Retrieved 4 December 2017.
4. ^ Herodotus, The Persian Wars, Chapter 6, paragraph 106
5. ^ Spartathlon 1983-2007, page 23, Published by the International Spartathlon Association, Athens, Greece
6. ^ Crockett, Davy (7 October 2021). "Spartathlon Part 2 (1983) – The First Race". Ultrarunning History. Retrieved 23 January 2022.
7. ^ "Spartathlon 1992 Results". Official Website. Retrieved 6 November 2020.
8. ^ "DUV Ultra Marathon Statistics"
9. ^ "Spartathlon – Race View 1993"
10. ^ "Finishers". Spartathlon. Retrieved 17 October 2012.
11. ^ "Αποτελέσματα"
12. ^ "Results". www.spartathlon.gr. Retrieved 2021-10-02.
13. ^ Spartathlon 1983-2017, International Spartathlon Association, 7 Kodrou street, 10558, Athens, Greece

External links

• Official Website for Spartathlon
• John Foden's article on how the Spartathlon has changed over the years Archived 2011-09-29 at the Wayback Machine
• John Foden's article on time spent at refreshment points
• Spartathlon Part 1 (1982) – The Birth
• Spartathlon Part 2 (1983) – The First Race