Yiannis Kouros

Yiannis Kouros

Yiannis Kouros in 2008
Personal information
Born	(1956-02-13) February 13, 1956 (age 60) Tripoli, Greece
Website	http://www.yianniskouros.gr/index.php/en/
Sport
Sport	Track and Field
Event(s)	24-hour run, 48-hour run, 6-day race
Medal record Men's Ultramarathon (partial list) Adelaide24-hour run 1997 Basel 24-hour run 1998 IAU 24 Hour World Championship 2001 Soochow University 24-hour run 2002 24-hour run San Giovanni Lupatoto 1999 24-hour run San Giovanni Lupatoto 2000 Surgères 48 Hour Race 1995 Surgères 48 Hour Race 1996 Surgères 48 Hour Race 1997 Surgères 48 Hour Race 2000 Surgères 48 Hour Race 2002 Surgères 48 Hour Race 2003 Surgères 48 Hour Race 2004 Australian Six Day Race – Colac 1984 Australian Six Day Race – Colac 2000 Cliff Young Australian 6-day race 2005 Sydney to Melbourne Ultramarathon 1985 Sydney to Melbourne Ultramarathon 1987 Sydney to Melbourne Ultramarathon 1989 Sydney to Melbourne Ultramarathon 1990 Athens to Sparta Run 1983 Spartathlon Athens to Sparta Run Spartathlon Athens to Sparta Run Spartathlon Athens to Sparta Run

Yiannis Kouros (Greek: Γιάννης Κούρος; born February 13, 1956 in Tripoli, Greece) is a Greek ultramarathon runner based in Melbourne. He is sometimes called the "Running God" or "Pheidippides Successor". He holds many men's outdoor road world records from 100 to 1,000 miles and many road and track records from 12 hours to 6 days. 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 record time and the Sydney to Melbourne Ultramarathon in 1985 in a record time of 5 days, 5 hours, 7 minutes and 6 seconds. He beat the previous record held by Cliff Young.

Kouros says that his secret is that "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 book Symblegmata (Clusters)) and the book The Six-Day Run of the Century.

According to the International Association of Ultrarunners, as of February 2013.