Spartathlon

Greek-American ultramarathoner Dean Karnazes has no doubt about it: Spartathlon, the 246-kilometer race that traces the footsteps of ancient messenger Pheidippides is uniquely special, and he is happy there is a documentary out that encapsulates the drama, excitement, agony and ecstasy he experienced when he first attempted this run from Athens to Sparta.

The 36th Spartathlon race was completed last weekend as Japanese runner Yoshihiko Ishikawa finished first with an impressive time of 22 hours, 55 minutes and 13 seconds.

Japanese runner Yoshihiko Ishikawa was the winner of the 36th Spartathlon, one of the most challenging and historical ultra-marathon races in the world, hosted in Greece.

Greece is gearing up for the 36th version of Spartathlon, the ultramarathon race that covers 246 kilometers from Athens to Sparta and starts on Friday.

Treading on the footsteps of ancient messenger Pheidippides, the grueling race will this year have 387 participants who hail from 51 countries. They once again include Greek American ultramarathon superstar Dean Karnazis.

Parts of downtown Athens near the Panathenaic Stadium (Kallimarmaro) and sections of the national highway linking the capital to the Peloponnesian town of Sparta will be intermittently closed off to traffic on Saturday for the 29th Spartakiada.

Lithuanian runner Aleksandr Sorokin won the 35th edition of Spartathlon, one of the most challenging and historical ultra-marathon races, in Sparta on Saturday.

Sorokin, 36, touched the feet of the statue of ancient Spartan King Leonidas in the center of Sparta before dawn around 5.00 am local time, covering non stop 246 kilometers from Athens in 22 hours, 4 minutes and 5 seconds.

Athletes smile for the camera at the starting line of the 35th Spartathlon, beneath the Acropolis, early on Friday morning. The grueling 246-kilometer ultramarathon celebrating Pheidippides, the Athenian messenger who was sent to Sparta in 490 BC to seek help against the Persians in the Battle of Marathon, is this year being attempted by 400 athletes from around the world.

When Barney Spender ran the Athens Marathon in 2002, he probably did not envisage that running in Greece and tracing the legendary steps of ancient messenger Pheidippides would take up more than two years of his life in the future.

Polish runner Andrzej Radzikowski won the 245.3km historic Spartathlon race on Saturday for the first time, clocking 23 hours, 1 minute and 13 seconds.

Radzikowski, 35, was 18th last year and two years ago finished third.

Finishing second was Italy's 39-year-old Marco Bonfiglio in 23:35.14 while 42-year-old Radek Brunner of the Czech Republic was third in 24:06.39.

Spartathlon 2016, this unique annual ultra-marathon race of 246 kilometers from Athens to Sparta draped in history, is starting on Friday morning with the winner set to cross the finish line early on Saturday.