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Yiannis Kouros (Greek: Γιάννης Κούρος, pronounced [ʝiˈa.nis ˈku.ros]; born 13 February 1956 in Tripoli, Kingdom of Greece) is a Greek ultramarathon runner based in Greece. Kouros holds or formerly held many world records between 100 miles and 1,000 miles.^[1][2][3][4] 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^[5] 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.^[6] Kouros held Australian citizenship for part of his running career and was inducted into the Australian Ultra Runners Association’s Hall of Fame in 2019.^[7]

In 1990, following a dispute with his employer in Greece, Kouros emigrated from Greece to Australia; in 1994, he became an Australian citizen; it seems that twenty years later, in 2014 aged 58, Kouros retired from ultrarunning competition.^[8]

Concerning the secret of his success, Kouros claims, "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 books, Symblegmata ("Clusters") and The Six-Day Run of the Century.

World records

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

Distance

Time races

See also

• Multiday races
• Ultramarathon

References

External links

• Yiannis Kouros official page
• Yiannis Kouros – Greek Greatness