Summary
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 in 2008 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Born | 13 February 1956 Tripoli, Kingdom of Greece | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Website | http://www.yianniskouros.gr/index.php/en/ | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| 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
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Kouros came to prominence when he won the Spartathlon in 1984 in record time[5] 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.[6] 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.[7]
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 edit
According to the International Association of Ultrarunners, as of February 2013[update].
Distance edit
| 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 edit
| 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 edit
References edit
- ^ "World Best Performances" (PDF). International Association of Ultrarunners. October 2012.
- ^ "IAU World (age) best performances" (PDF). 29 January 2015. Retrieved 24 August 2015.
- ^ Bedkowski, Jacek. "IAU Records". IAU – International Association of Ultrarunners. Retrieved 28 February 2024.
- ^ Bedkowski, Jacek. "Rankings & Records". IAU – International Association of Ultrarunners. Retrieved 28 February 2024.
- ^ "Japan's Ryoichi Sekiya wins Spartathlon race". USA Today. AP. 26 September 2009. Retrieved 15 February 2010.
- ^ Potter, David (18 April 1985) Melbourne's Greeks welcome their Marathon man, The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 15 February 2010.
- ^ Kouros inducted into Australian ultra running hall of fame
External links edit
- Yiannis Kouros official page
- Yiannis Kouros – Greek Greatness