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. Kouros holds or formerly held many world records between 100 miles and 1,000 miles.^[1][2][3][4] 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 (age 68) Tripoli, Kingdom of Greece
Website	http://www.yianniskouros.gr/index.php/en/
Sport
Sport	Track 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
Medal record Men's Ultramarathon (partial list) Adelaide 24-hour run 1997 Basel 24-hour run 1998 IAU 24 Hour World Championship 2001 Soochow University 24-hour run 2002 24-hour run San Giovanni Lupatoto 1999 24-hour run San Giovanni Lupatoto 2000 Surgères 48 Hour Race 1995 Surgères 48 Hour Race 1996 Surgères 48 Hour Race 1997 Surgères 48 Hour Race 2000 Surgères 48 Hour Race 2002 Surgères 48 Hour Race 2003 Surgères 48 Hour Race 2004 Australian Six Day Race – Colac 1984 Australian Six Day Race – Colac 2000 Cliff Young Australian 6-day race 2005 Sydney to Melbourne Ultramarathon 1985 Sydney to Melbourne Ultramarathon 1987 Sydney to Melbourne Ultramarathon 1989 Sydney to Melbourne Ultramarathon 1990 Athens to Sparta Run 1983 Athens to Sparta Run 1984 Athens to Sparta Run 1986 Athens to Sparta Run 1990

Kouros came to prominence when he won the Spartathlon in 1984 in a record time of 20 hours and 25 minutes.^[5][6] He also won the Sydney to Melbourne Ultramarathon in 1985 in a record time of 5 days, 5 hours, 7 minutes, and 6 seconds, beating the previous record held by Cliff Young.^[7] 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.^[8]

In 1990, following a dispute with his employer in Greece, Kouros emigrated to Australia. He became an Australian citizen in 1994. It seems that twenty years later, in 2014, at the age of 58, Kouros retired from ultrarunning competition.^[9]

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."^{[citation needed]}

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^[update].

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

• Australia portal
• Greece portal
• Sports portal

• Multiday races
• Ultramarathon

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. Bedkowski, Jacek. "IAU Records". IAU – International Association of Ultrarunners. Retrieved 28 February 2024.
4. Bedkowski, Jacek. "Rankings & Records". IAU – International Association of Ultrarunners. Retrieved 28 February 2024.
5. "Japan's Ryoichi Sekiya wins Spartathlon race". USA Today. AP. 26 September 2009. Archived from the original on 18 November 2010. Retrieved 15 February 2010.
6. "Spartathlon – Athlete View Kouros Yiannis". Spartathlon Ultra Race. Retrieved 20 October 2024.
7. Potter, David (18 April 1985) Melbourne's Greeks welcome their Marathon man, The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 15 February 2010.
8. Kouros inducted into Australian ultra running hall of fame
9. "Yiannis Kouros - Greek Greatness | Ultrarunning History". 26 May 2024. Archived from the original on 26 May 2024. Retrieved 26 May 2024.

External links

• Yiannis Kouros official page
• Yiannis Kouros – Greek Greatness