ESPN link:
Run from Athens to Sparta, about 152 miles:
Run from Athens to Sparta, about 152 miles:
So, who's ready to start training with me?The Spartathlon is about five miles short of six consecutive marathons. The course is based on Herodotus' account of the Battle of Marathon in 490 B.C. Pheidippides, an Athenian messenger, was sent to summon troop reinforcements against the invading Persians and arrived in Sparta "one day later."
In 1982, British Royal Air Force officer John Foden tested the ancient tale and finished the course in 36 hours, laying the groundwork for the annual race.
To qualify for this event, participants must have finished a 62-mile race in less than 10½ hours, completed a 125-mile race or finished or reached a certain checkpoint in a previous Spartathlon.