Yiannis Kouros (, ; 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. 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.
Kouros came to prominence when he won the Spartathlon in 1984 in a record time of 20 hours and 25 minutes. 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.Potter, David (18 April 1985) Melbourne's Greeks welcome their Marathon man, The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 15 February 2010. 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.Kouros inducted into Australian ultra running hall of fame
In 1990, following a dispute with his employer in Greece, Kouros emigrated to Australia. He became an Australian citizen in 1994. Twenty years later, in 2014, at the age of 58, Kouros retired from ultrarunning competition.
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 Kouros has held or currently holds the following world records:
Distance 100 miles [Former world record]Road11h 46min 37s1,000 kmTrack5d 16h 17min 00s1,000 kmRoad5d 20h 13min 40s1,000 milesRoad10d 10h 30min 36s
Time races 12 h [Former world record, current 45-49 age record]Road24 h [Former world record]Road24 h [Former world record]Track48 h [Former world record, current 40-44 age record]Road48 h [Former world record]Track6 days [Former world record]Road6 days [Former world record, current 45-49 age record]Track
See also
Multiday races Ultramarathon
References
External links Yiannis Kouros official page Yiannis Kouros – Greek Greatness