Yiannis Kouros: Spartathlon wins and world ultra records
Yiannis Kouros won the Spartathlon four times (1983, 1984, 1986, 1990) and held the world records for 24 hours (303.506 km, 1997), 48 hours (473.495 km, 1996) and six days (1,036.800 km, 2005) — records since broken by other athletes — while he still holds the 1,000-mile world record (10 days and roughly 10 hours 30 minutes, 1988), according to spartathlon.gr’s official athlete record, the IAU, DUV and Guinness World Records. He held the fastest time in Spartathlon history until 2023, when Fotis Zisimopoulos finished in 19:55:09.
- 1956Born on 13 February, in Tripoli.
- 1977Runs his first marathon at 21, in 2:43:15.
- 1981Wins the Athens Marathon.
- 1983First Spartathlon win (21:53:42) — his first-ever ultra race.
- 1984Second Spartathlon win: 21:25:00 in the results table, 20:25:00 on the athlete record and per the IAU.
- 1985Sets the 12-hour world record (162.400 km); debut win at Sydney–Melbourne.
- 1986Third Spartathlon win (21:57:00).
- 1988Sets the 1,000-mile world record — still standing today.
- 1990Fourth Spartathlon win (20:29:04).
- 1997Sets the (since-broken) 24-hour world record (303.506 km).
- 2005Sets the (since-broken) 6-day world record (1,036.800 km).
- 2023Fotis Zisimopoulos finishes in 19:55:09, taking the fastest Spartathlon time from Kouros.
Who is Yiannis Kouros
Yiannis Kouros was born on 13 February 1956 in Tripoli, Greece, according to Davy Crockett’s Ultrarunning History profile; the international DUV Ultra Marathon Statistics archive independently confirms the date of birth, though it does not record a birthplace. He started out as a conventional marathon runner, running his first marathon at 21, in 1977, in 2:43:15, and improving gradually to 2:25 by 1981 — the same year he won the Athens Marathon, though the IAU does not state that 2:25 was his winning time there.
By 1983 he had completed 25 marathons. That year he discovered that his real strength lay in ultra distances, far beyond the 42.195 km marathon — and his very first ultra race happened to be one of the toughest there is: the Spartathlon.
The 1983 Spartathlon: the first win
The Spartathlon began on 30 September 1983 with 45 runners at the start line, according to the IAU’s historical account. It was the race’s first edition, and the first ultra-distance event Kouros had ever attempted.
Spartathlon.gr’s official athlete record shows a 07:00 start on 30 September and a 04:53:42 finish the next day — a total time of 21:53:42, the race’s first-ever winning time.
“In 1984 he ran it in 20:25:00 - almost an hour and a half better than in 1983”
IAU — Yiannis Kouros athlete profile
1984: the second win
In 1984 Kouros won again, and faster. The official results table on spartathlon.gr records 21:25:00, while the athlete record in the same archive (a 07:00 start on 29 September and a 03:25 finish the next day) and the IAU profile both correspond to 20:25:00.
Whichever value is used, the fastest time in the race’s history belonged to Kouros (1984, or per the results table his 20:29:04 from 1990) until 2023, when Fotis Zisimopoulos finished in 19:55:09.
Four Spartathlon wins
Spartathlon.gr’s official athlete record lists four Kouros wins in total: 1983 (21:53:42), 1984 (21:25:00 in the results table; 20:25:00 on the athlete record), 1986 (21:57:00) and 1990 (20:29:04).
That ties him for the most wins in the race’s history with Fotis Zisimopoulos, who won four times in a row from 2021 to 2024, as bib2bib’s own published Spartathlon history record already documents.
The world endurance records
Beyond the Spartathlon, Kouros set a series of fixed-time endurance world records, recorded in the international DUV archive and confirmed by the IAU’s profile; the 1,000-mile mark still stands today, while the other three have since been broken by other athletes (see below):
- 12 hours: 162.400 km · 15 March 1985, Montauban, France
- 24 hours: 303.506 km · 4–5 October 1997, Adelaide, Australia (former record)
- 48 hours: 473.495 km · 3–5 May 1996, Surgères, France (former record)
- 6 days: 1,036.800 km · 20–26 November 2005, Colac, Australia (former record)
- 1,000 miles: 10 days, 10 hours and 30 minutes · 20–30 May 1988, New York, USA (still standing)
Sydney–Melbourne: five wins in an ultramarathon of roughly 1,000km
Kouros ran the legendary Westfield Sydney to Melbourne Ultramarathon — a roughly 1,000km point-to-point race held in Australia from 1983 to 1991 — five times, in 1985, 1987, 1988, 1989 and 1990, winning every single one, according to DUV.
On his debut in 1985 he finished in 5 days and 05:07:00, beating the existing course record by around ten hours. His fastest run came in 1989: 1,011 km in 5 days, 2 hours and 27 minutes, as recorded by both DUV and the IAU.
Which records still stand today
Kouros’s fastest Spartathlon time was beaten in 2023. Of the four fixed-time endurance world records he set, three have since been broken: the 24-hour record by Lithuania’s Aleksandr Sorokin, first with 309.399 km (UltraPark Weekend, Poland, August 2021) and then with 319.614 km (IAU European 24 Hour Championships, Verona, Italy, 18 September 2022), the 48-hour record by Belgium’s Matthieu Bonne (485.099 km, UltraPark Weekend 48 Hour, Poland, 30 May–1 June 2025), and the six-day record by Ivan Zaborsky (1,047.554 km, the 2025 Six Days of France, Vallon-Pont-d’Arc, France, 4 May 2025 — after Bonne himself had briefly improved it to 1,045.519 km in 2024).
Only Kouros’s 1,000-mile record remains officially credited to him by Guinness World Records, as of the 29 September 2026 check. Bib2bib does not claim permanence beyond what the source itself confirms at the time of checking — an endurance record can change at any time.
Legacy: a race carrying his name in Tripoli
Kouros’s legacy is not only historical. On 20 September 2026, his hometown of Tripoli hosted the 1st International Double Marathon “Yiannis Kouros”, an 84km event listing yianniskouros.com as its official website, according to bib2bib’s own race catalog.
The IAU describes him today as an active supporter and promoter of the sport, while his most recent event recorded by DUV is a 48-hour race in Buenos Aires in November 2014 — which he also won.
Frequently asked questions
How many times has Yiannis Kouros won the Spartathlon?
Four times — 1983, 1984, 1986 and 1990, according to spartathlon.gr’s official athlete record. He is tied for the most wins with Fotis Zisimopoulos.
What was Kouros’s 24-hour world record?
303.506 km, at the Sri Chinmoy 24-hour race in Adelaide, Australia, on 4–5 October 1997. It stood until August 2021, when Lithuania’s Aleksandr Sorokin ran 309.399 km; in 2022 he raised it to 319.614 km.
When did he win his first Spartathlon?
On 30 September 1983, in the race’s very first edition, in 21:53:42.
Until when did Kouros hold the fastest Spartathlon time?
Until 2023, when Fotis Zisimopoulos finished in 19:55:09. The fastest time in the official archive today is Tamás Bódis’s 19:40:51 (2026).
How many times did he win the Sydney to Melbourne ultramarathon?
Five times (1985, 1987, 1988, 1989 and 1990) — he won every one he entered, according to DUV.
Is Yiannis Kouros still competing?
His most recent event in the international DUV archive dates to 2014. The IAU describes him today as a supporter and promoter of the sport rather than an active competitor.
