Yiannis Kouros

Yiannis Kouros (Greek: Γιάννης Κούρος, pronounced [ʝiˈa.nis ˈku.ros]; born 13 February 1956 in Tripoli, Kingdom of Greece) is a Greek ultramarathon runner based in Greece. He is sometimes given the epithets "Running god", "Pheidippides' Successor" or "Son of Pheidippides". Kouros holds many men's outdoor road world records from 100 to 1,000 miles and many road and track records from 12 hours to 6 days.[1][2] In 1991, he starred as Pheidippides in the movie The Story of the Marathon: A Hero's Journey, which chronicles the history of marathon running.

Yiannis Kouros
Yiannis Kouros in 2008
Personal information
Born (1956-02-13) 13 February 1956
Tripoli, Kingdom of Greece
Websitehttp://www.yianniskouros.gr/index.php/en/
Sport
SportTrack and Field
Event(s)24-hour run, 48-hour run, 6-day race
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)Marathon: 2:24:00
Spartathlon: 20:25:00 WR
Medal record
Men's Ultramarathon (partial list)
Gold medal – first placeAdelaide 24-hour run1997
Gold medal – first placeBasel 24-hour run1998
Gold medal – first placeIAU 24 Hour World Championship2001
Gold medal – first placeSoochow University 24-hour run2002
Gold medal – first place24-hour run San Giovanni Lupatoto1999
Gold medal – first place24-hour run San Giovanni Lupatoto2000
Gold medal – first placeSurgères 48 Hour Race1995
Gold medal – first placeSurgères 48 Hour Race1996
Gold medal – first placeSurgères 48 Hour Race1997
Gold medal – first placeSurgères 48 Hour Race2000
Gold medal – first placeSurgères 48 Hour Race2002
Gold medal – first placeSurgères 48 Hour Race2003
Gold medal – first placeSurgères 48 Hour Race2004
Gold medal – first placeAustralian Six Day Race – Colac1984
Gold medal – first placeAustralian Six Day Race – Colac2000
Gold medal – first placeCliff Young Australian 6-day race2005
Gold medal – first placeSydney to Melbourne Ultramarathon1985
Gold medal – first placeSydney to Melbourne Ultramarathon1987
Gold medal – first placeSydney to Melbourne Ultramarathon1989
Gold medal – first placeSydney to Melbourne Ultramarathon1990
Gold medal – first placeAthens to Sparta Run1983
Gold medal – first placeAthens to Sparta Run1984
Gold medal – first placeAthens to Sparta Run1986
Gold medal – first placeAthens to Sparta Run1990

Kouros came to prominence when he won the Spartathlon in 1984 in record time[3] and the Sydney to Melbourne Ultramarathon in 1985 in a record time of 5 days, 5 hours, 7 minutes and 6 seconds. He beat the previous record held by Cliff Young.[4] Kouros held Australian citizenship for part of his running career and was inducted into the Australian Ultra Runners Association’s Hall of Fame in 2019.[5]

Concerning the secret of his success, Kouros claims, "when other people get tired, they stop. I don't. I take over my body with my mind. I tell it that it's not tired and it listens."

Kouros has also written over 1,000 poems, several of which appear in his books, Symblegmata ("Clusters") and The Six-Day Run of the Century.

World records

According to the International Association of Ultrarunners, as of February 2013.

Distance

100 miles Road 11h 46min 37s 13.665 km/h (8.491 mph)
1,000 km Track 5d 16h 17min 00s 7.338 km/h (4.560 mph)
1,000 km Road 5d 20h 13min 40s 7.131 km/h (4.431 mph)
1,000 miles Road 10d 10h 30min 36s 6.424 km/h (3.992 mph)

Time races

12 h Road 162.543 km (101.000 mi) 13.545 km/h (8.416 mph)
24 h Road 290.221 km (180.335 mi) 12.093 km/h (7.514 mph)
24 h Track 303.506 km (188.590 mi) 12.646 km/h (7.858 mph)
48 h Road 433.095 km (269.113 mi) 9.023 km/h (5.607 mph)
48 h Track 473.495 km (294.216 mi) 9.875 km/h (6.136 mph)
6 days Road 1,028.370 km (638.999 mi) 7.142 km/h (4.438 mph)
6 days Track 1,038.851 km (645.512 mi) 7.214 km/h (4.483 mph)

See also

References

  1. "World Best Performances" (PDF). International Association of Ultrarunners. October 2012.
  2. "IAU World (age) best performances" (PDF). 29 January 2015. Retrieved 24 August 2015.
  3. "Japan's Ryoichi Sekiya wins Spartathlon race". USA Today. AP. 26 September 2009. Retrieved 15 February 2010.
  4. Potter, David (18 April 1985) Melbourne's Greeks welcome their Marathon man, The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 15 February 2010.
  5. Kouros inducted into Australian ultra running hall of fame


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