The Spartathlon

The Spartathlon is the International Spartathlon Association’s annual ultramarathon from Athens to Sparta, run over 246 kilometres with a thirty-six-hour time limit. The course starts at the foot of the Acropolis and finishes at the statue of Leonidas in Sparta, retracing the route Herodotus records for Pheidippides, sent from Athens in 490 BC to seek Sparta’s aid before the battle at Marathon. The 44th edition is held on 26 to 27 September 2026.

The modern race dates from 1983, the year after John Foden, a British RAF wing commander and student of ancient Greek history, proved with two fellow officers that the distance could be run within the ancient timeframe. The International Spartathlon Association has organised it annually since. The 2026 edition runs under the auspices of the Hellenic Olympic Committee and carries the International Association of Ultrarunners’ Golden Label.

Entry is by qualification and lottery; the final list for 2026 was drawn on 12 March. The course has seventy-five checkpoints, each with its own cut-off time, and includes a 1,200-metre crossing of Mount Parthenio taken overnight. The course record stands at 19 hours 55 minutes, set by Fotis Zisimopoulos in 2023.