Spartathlon 1983–2026: the history and the fastest times
The Spartathlon has run the Athens-to-Sparta course since 1983. Of the 44 editions scheduled through 2026, one was cancelled (2020) and 43 were held. The official race archive shows how the size of the field changed, what the fastest time is, and which runners and countries have won the most times.
43 races in 44 years
The official spartathlon.gr edition list has 44 entries, from 1983 to 2026. The 2020 edition page itself is titled "Race View 2020 (Cancelled)" and has an empty finishers table: it is the only year the race did not take place. The other 43 editions were held as scheduled.
The field grew a great deal. 1983 has 16 finish-time entries in the official archive. 2026 has 276, the largest finisher field in the race's history, more than 17 times the first edition. The count is confirmed independently in the separate final 2026 results table.
The official 1984 entry
The official spartathlon.gr archive records Yiannis Kouros’s 1984 win as 21:25:00. The historical progression below uses this official value.
How the fastest time progressed
- 1983: Yiannis Kouros, 21:53:42, the race's first winning time
- 1984: Yiannis Kouros, 21:25:00, per the official archive
- 1990: Yiannis Kouros, 20:29:04
- 2023: Fotis Zisimopoulos, 19:55:09, the first time under 20 hours
- 2026: Tamás Bódis, 19:40:51, the fastest time in the race’s history
Who has won the most times
Two Greeks share the top spot with four wins each: Yiannis Kouros (1983, 1984, 1986, 1990) and Fotis Zisimopoulos, with four consecutive wins from 2021 to 2024.
With three wins each, American Scott Jurek (2006-2008) and Italian Ivan Cudin (2010, 2011, 2014) follow, both under a single archive entry. For the German runner, the archive records the 1999 and 2005 wins as "Lukas Jens" under one entry and the 2004 win as "Jens Lucas" under a separate entry; because the archive does not link the two entries, the article counts them separately and does not report three wins for one runner.
Hungary's Tamás Bódis, the 2026 winner with the fastest time in the race's history, had also won in 2019. The official archive lists him under two different entries for the two wins, with the same name and country.
Greece leads by a clear margin
Greece has the most wins: 10 of the 43 editions held (23.3%), shared by three different winners, Kouros, Kostas Reppos (1997, 1998) and Zisimopoulos.
Germany follows with 5 wins, Japan with 4, and Hungary, the U.S.A. and Italy with 3 each. Eleven more countries have one or two wins each in the historical archive.
Frequently asked questions
How many times has the Spartathlon been held?
43 times from 1983 to 2026. The only cancellation was in 2020.
What is the fastest time in Spartathlon history?
19:40:51, by Hungary's Tamás Bódis in 2026, according to the official 1983–2026 archive.
What time does the official archive record for Kouros in 1984?
21:25:00 on the official 1984 edition page.
Who has won the most times?
Yiannis Kouros and Fotis Zisimopoulos, with four wins each.
