In this episode, Anne Jennings from Ireland talks about her experience at the Spartathlon. Anne is only the 4th Irish Female to ever finish this race which has a drop out rate of over 50%.
Female finishers from Ireland:
1. 1998 - Doina Nugent. 30 hours 58 mins 22 secs.
2. 2016. Bridget Brady. 34 hours 57 mins 13 secs.
3. 2019 - Leanne Rive. 32 hours 55 mins 58 secs.
4. 2019 - Anne Jennings. 35 hours 30 mins 37 secs.
SPARTATHLON is a historic ultra-distance foot race that takes place in September of every year in Greece. It is one of the most difficult and satisfying ultra-distance races in the world because of its unique history and background.
The Spartathlon revives the footsteps of Pheidippides, an ancient Athenian long distance runner, who in 490 BC, before the battle of Marathon, was sent to Sparta to seek help in the war between the Greeks and the Persians. According to the ancient Greek historian Herodotus, Pheidippides arrived in Sparta the day after his departure from Athens.
From 1984 the International Association "Spartathlon" was founded, which since then has continuously organized the race each September. The choice of this month is because that is the time reported by Herodotus for Pheidippides’ run to Sparta.
