View source for Spartathlon

{{Short description|Ultramarathon race from Athens to Sparti in Greece}}
[[Image:dicsoseg.jpg|thumb|right|Monument in Sparta with names of Spartathlon winners]] [[Image:spartaerem1.jpg|thumb|right|The finisher’s medal]] [[Image:spartaerem2.jpg|thumb|right|The reverse side of the medal]]

'''Spartathlon''' is a {{convert|246|km|mi|adj=on}} [[ultramarathon]] race held annually in [[Greece]] since 1983, between [[Athens, Greece|Athens]] and [[Sparta (modern)|Sparti]], the modern town on the site of [[Ancient sparta|ancient Sparta]]. The Spartathlon is based on the run of [[Pheidippides]],<ref>{{Cite web|title=Spartathlon – Home Page|url=https://www.spartathlon.gr/en/home.html|access-date=2021-10-03|website=www.spartathlon.gr}}</ref> who ran from Athens to Sparta before the [[Battle of Marathon]] in a day and a half to seek aid against the Persians. Five [[Royal Air Force]] officers attempted the course in 1982 and the competition was started the next year.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Crockett |first1=Davy |title=Spartathlon Part 1 (1982) – The Birth |url=https://ultrarunninghistory.com/spartathlon-1/ |website=Ultrarunning History |date=19 September 2021 |access-date=23 January 2022}}</ref> 

As the race grew more popular, stringent entry criteria were implemented to ensure participants were fit enough to run the course. The race has 75 checkpoints where race officials disqualify runners who fail to meet time cutoffs or who are too tired to continue.

In 2023, [[Camille Herron]] set a new women's course record of 22h 35min 31s, an improvement of 2h 12min 53s under the previous course record and the first woman under 24h. [[Fotis Zisimopoulos]] won for the third time and set a new men's course record in 19h 55min 9s, becoming the first athlete under 20h and broke the longheld record set by [[Yiannis Kouros]] in 1984.

==Origin==
The Spartathlon aims to trace the footsteps of [[Pheidippides]], an [[Athens|Athenian]] messenger sent to [[Sparta]] in 490 BC to seek help against the Persians in the [[Battle of Marathon]]. Pheidippides, according to an account by Greek historian [[Herodotus]], arrived in Sparta the day after he departed.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|url=https://www.economist.com/news/christmas/21568593-vomit-bleeding-nipples-and-hallucinations-why-would-anyone-their-right-mind-run|title=The lunacy of the long-distance runner|date=22 December 2012|newspaper=[[The Economist]]|access-date=4 December 2017|language=en}}</ref> Herodotus wrote: "On the occasion of which we speak when Pheidippides was sent by the Athenian generals, and, according to his own account, saw Pan on his journey, he reached Sparta on the very next day after quitting the city of Athens."<ref name=":1">Herodotus, The Persian Wars, Chapter 6, paragraph 106</ref>

Based on this account, John Foden, an officer of the [[Royal Air Force]] and a long distance runner, went to Greece in 1982 with four officers to test whether it was possible to cover the nearly 250 kilometres (155 miles) in a day and a half (36 hours).<ref name=":1" /> Three of them were successful in completing the distance: Foden himself in 37 hours and 37 minutes; John Scholtens in 34:30, and John McCarthy in 39:00.<ref>Spartathlon 1983-2007, page 23, Published by the International Spartathlon Association, Athens, Greece</ref> The following year a team of enthusiastic supporters (British, Greek and other nationalities) based at the British Hellenic Chamber of Commerce in Athens and led by Philhellene Michael Callaghan organised the running of the first Open International Spartathlon Race. The event was run under the auspices of [[Hellenic Amateur Athletic Association|SEGAS]], the Hellenic Amateur Athletics Association. Forty-four men and one woman from twelve countries were entered into the first Spartathlon in 1983.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Crockett |first1=Davy |title=Spartathlon Part 2 (1983) – The First Race |url=https://ultrarunninghistory.com/spartathlon-2/ |website=Ultrarunning History |date=7 October 2021 |access-date=23 January 2022}}</ref>

==Race==
The Spartathlon is usually held around late September. Runners have 36 hours to run {{Convert|246|km|mi}}, roughly the equivalent of six consecutive [[marathon]]s, between [[Athens]] and [[Sparti]], the site of [[Ancient sparta|ancient Sparta]]. Runners have to deal with the Greek heat in the day, the cold of the night, and the mountainous terrain. There are 75 checkpoints along the way, where runners are disqualified for safety reasons if they fail to meet time cut-offs. Many runners have crews that support them during the race, such as helping them resupply at the checkpoints. Any non-finishers are picked up by a bus and taken to Sparta together.<ref name=":0" />

The race begins at 7:00 am, roughly when dawn breaks, at the foot of the [[Acropolis of Athens]], near the [[Odeon of Herodes Atticus]] and the [[Agora of Athens]].<ref name=":0" /> The runners head westwards and the first major checkpoint is at {{Convert|80|km|mi}}, at the [[Corinth Canal]] on the [[Isthmus of Corinth]] that connects the [[Peloponnese]] to mainland Greece. Runners then proceed to the site of [[ancient Corinth]].<ref name=":0" />

Runners ascend the {{Convert|1200|m|ft}} high Sangas mountain pass on [[Mount Parthenion]], and then descend towards [[Tegea]], which is about {{Convert|200|km|mi}} from the start of the race. According to Herodotus, Pheidippides had a vision of [[Pan (god)|Pan]] at Tegea, in what may be the first recorded case of [[exercise-induced hallucination]]. The rest of the race is a {{Convert|50|km|mi}} downhill segment to the town of Sparta.<ref name=":0" />

The end of the race is a statue of [[Leonidas I]], the Spartan king who died at the [[Battle of Thermopylae]] fighting the Persians ten years after Marathon, which is placed at the end of the main street in Sparta. Runners who finish the race receive a [[laurel wreath]] and water from schoolgirls dressed in [[Chiton (costume)|chitons]], and have access to medical tents. The national anthem of the winner is also played.<ref name=":0" />

No monetary award is given to any of the finishers, but winning the race is considered prestigious and generates publicity that is helpful in attracting sponsors. Unlike [[Pheidippides]], none of the runners have to make the return run back to Athens.<ref name=":0" />

==Entry requirements==
In order to run in this race an individual must have recently performed at least one of a number of qualifying feats, such as:
* Finishing a race of at least {{convert|100|km|mi|abbr=on}} in less than 10 hours (male) or 10 hours 30 minutes (female).
* Competing in an event of more than {{convert|200|km|mi|abbr=on}} and completing it in less than 29 hours (male) or 30 hours (female).
* Competing in Spartathlon within the two previous years and overcoming the mountain to reach the [[Nestani]] checkpoint at {{convert|172|km|mi|abbr=on}} in less than 24 hours 30 minutes.
The criteria have been tightened at least once in the past and a ballot introduced, since the increasing prestige of the race and the gradual increase in the number of qualifying athletes mean that it is now always oversubscribed; however, elite athletes who can exceed the criteria by a large margin (25%, formerly 20%) are able to avoid the ballot and qualify automatically. Entries are now capped at 400 each year with non-automatic qualifiers chosen through a lottery system.

==Records==
[[Camille Herron]] set a new women's course record in 2023 with a time of 22h 35min 31s, an improvement of 2h 12min 53s under the previous course record set by [[Patrycja Bereznowska]] in 2017. She became the first woman to run under 24 hours and placed third overall, the second time a woman has placed on the overall podium. She led 3 women under 24 hours and into the top 10 overall for the first time in the race's history. [[Mary Larsson]] holds the record for most wins by a woman with 5 wins. 

[[Fotis Zisimopoulos]] set a new men's course record in 2023 with a time of 19h 55min 2s, the first runner under 20 hours and his third win. [[Yiannis Kouros]] holds the most wins by a man with four wins. In 2005, he decided to trace the steps of Pheidippides completely and ran—out of competition—the Athens–Sparta–Athens distance.

Hubert Karl of Germany holds the record for most finishes with 23. András Lőw of Hungary meanwhile holds the record for most consecutive finishes with 19.

In 2017, the 35th anniversary competition had a record 264 finishers under the 36-hour cut-off time. In 2018, the later stages of the race were substantially disrupted by the [[Medicane]] Zorbas, though almost all runners capable of finishing within the cut-off time were eventually able to do so.

Following are the winners of the Spartathlon:

===Men===


{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;"
!Year !!1st !!Nationality !!Time!!2nd!!Nationality!!Time!!3rd!!Nationality!!Time
|-
|1983||[[Yiannis Kouros]]||{{GRE}}||21:53:42||{{ill|Dušan Mravlje|sl||v=sup}}||{{YUG}}||24:40:38 ||Alan Fairbrother||{{GRB}}|| 27:39:14
|-
|1984||[[Yiannis Kouros]]||{{GRE}}||20:25:00||{{ill|Dušan Mravlje|sl||v=sup}}||{{YUG}}||23:44:00||Patrick Macke || {{GBR}} ||24:32:05
|-
|1985|| Patrick Macke || {{GBR}} || 23:18:00||{{ill|Dušan Mravlje|sl||v=sup}}||{{YUG}}||24:39:22||Jean Calbera||{{FRA}}||24:42:00
|-
|1986||[[Yiannis Kouros]]||{{GRE}}||21:57:00||[[Ernő Kis-Király]]||{{HUN}}||26:07:00|| Peter Mann || {{GER}} || 26:41:00
|-
|1987||{{ill|Rune Larsson (ultramarathon runner)|lt=Rune Larsson|sv|Rune Larsson (långdistanslöpare)|v=sup}}||{{SWE}}||24:41:46|| Patrick Macke || {{GBR}} || 26:41:51 ||James Zarei ||{{GBR}}||27:27:16
|-
|1988||{{ill|Rune Larsson (ultramarathon runner)|lt=Rune Larsson|sv|Rune Larsson (långdistanslöpare)|v=sup}}||{{SWE}}||24:42:05||James Zarei || {{IRN}} ||25:59:42||Georges Makris||{{GRE}}||26:47:00
|-
|1989|| Patrick Macke || {{GBR}} ||  24:32:05||{{ill|Rune Larsson (ultramarathon runner)|lt=Rune Larsson|sv|Rune Larsson (långdistanslöpare)|v=sup}}||{{SWE}}||25:28:48||Seiichi Morikawa||{{JPN}}||26:08:18
|-
|1990||[[Yiannis Kouros]]||{{GRE}}||20:29:04||Patrick Macke||{{GBR}}||23:08:41||[[János Bogár]]||{{HUN}}||24:49:19
|-
|1991||[[János Bogár]]||{{HUN}}||24:15:31||James Zarei|| {{GBR}} || 26:48:50||George Stoakes ||{{GRB}}||30:50:35
|-
|1992<ref name="Sp1992">{{cite web|title=Spartathlon 1992 Results|url=https://www.spartathlon.gr/en/races/race-results-en/race/10.html|work=Official Website|access-date=6 November 2020}}</ref>||{{ill|Rusko Kadiev|bg|Руско Кадиев|v=sup}}||{{BUL}}||24:08:13||{{ill|Paul Beckers (ultramarathon runner)|lt=Paul Beckers|nl||v=sup}}||{{BEL}}||25:05:48 ||Roy Pirrung || {{USA}} ||28:33:02
|-
|1993<ref>{{cite web | url=https://statistik.d-u-v.org/getresultevent.php?event=5677 | title=DUV Ultra Marathon Statistics }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.spartathlon.gr/en/spartathlon/race/view/1993/ | title=Spartathlon – Race View 1993 }}</ref>||{{ill|Rune Larsson (ultramarathon runner)|lt=Rune Larsson|sv|Rune Larsson (långdistanslöpare)|v=sup}}||{{SWE}}||25:57:12||Marcel Foucat ||{{FRA}}||27:46:37||Milan Furin ||{{SVK}}||28:51:37
|-
|1994|| James Zarei || {{GBR}} || 26:15:00||Kenji Okiyama||{{JPN}}|| 25:55:00 ||Peeter Kirppu ||{{EST}}||26:07:00
|-
|1995|| James Zarei || {{GBR}} || 25:59:42||Vasilios Chalkias ||{{GRE}}||27:49:46||Kazuyoshi Ikeda||{{JPN}}||28:12:00
|-
|1996||{{ill|Roland Vuillemenot|fr||v=sup}}||{{FRA}}||26:21:00||{{ill|Dušan Mravlje|sl||v=sup}}||{{SLO}}||27:55:00||Roy Pirrung||{{USA}}||27:56:32
|-
|1997|| Constantinos Reppos|| {{GRE}} || 23:37:00||Kenji Okiyama||{{JPN}}||25:55:00||{{ill|Rune Larsson (ultramarathon runner)|lt=Rune Larsson|sv|Rune Larsson (långdistanslöpare)|v=sup}}||{{SWE}}||28:11:00
|-
|1998|| Constantinos Reppos || {{GRE}} || 25:11:41||Kenzi (Kenji) Okiyama||{{JPN}}||26:13:13|| James Zarei||{{GRB}}||26:44:04
|-
|1999||[[Jens Lukas]]||{{GER}}||25:38:03||{{ill|Jean Pierre Guyomarch|fr|Jean-Pierre Guyomarc'h (ultrafond)|v=sup}}||{{FRA}}||27:08:57||Jun Onoki||{{JPN}}||27:16:36
|-
|2000|| Masayuki Ohtaki (Otaki, Ōtaki) || {{JPN}} || 24:01:10||[[Jens Lukas]]||{{GER}}||24:59:54||Cees Verhagen||{{NED}}||25:35:50
|-
|2001||[[Valmir Nunes]]||{{BRA}}||23:18:05||[[Jens Lukas]]||{{GER}}||24:46:51||[[Ryōichi Sekiya]]||{{JPN}}||25:27:30
|-
|2002||[[Ryōichi Sekiya]]||{{JPN}}||23:47:54||{{ill|Markus Thalmann|de||v=sup}}||{{AUT}}||25:16:56||Jeffry Oonk||{{NED}}||26:58:55
|-
|2003||{{ill|Markus Thalmann|de||v=sup}}||{{AUT}}||23:28:24||[[Valmir Nunes]]||{{BRA}}||25:30:35||Jean-Jacques Moros ||{{FRA}}||26:26:16
|-
|2004||[[Jens Lukas]]||{{GER}}||25:49:59||{{ill|Markus Thalmann|de||v=sup}}||{{AUT}}||26:20:02||Martin Juri||{{AUS}}||27:19:15
|-
|2005||[[Jens Lukas]]||{{GER}}||24:20:39||Jean-Jacques Moros ||{{FRA}}||25:03:30||{{ill|Markus Thalmann|de||v=sup}}||{{AUT}}||26:34:42
|-
|2006||[[Scott Jurek]]||{{USA}}||22:52:18||[[Ryōichi Sekiya]]||{{JPN}}||24:14:11||Masayuki Ohtaki (Otaki, Ōtaki) ||{{JPN}}||25:19:12
|-
|2007||[[Scott Jurek]]||{{USA}}||23:12:14||{{ill|Piotr Kuryło|pl||v=sup}}||{{POL}}||24:29:41||[[Valmir Nunes]]||{{BRA}}||25:37:40
|-
|2008||[[Scott Jurek]]||{{USA}}||22:20:01||{{ill|Markus Thalmann|de||v=sup}}||{{AUT}}||24:52:09||Lars Skytte Christoffersen||{{DEN}}|| 25:29:41
|-
|2009||[[Ryōichi Sekiya]]||{{JPN}}||23:48:24||Lars Skytte Christoffersen ||{{DEN}}||24:32:00||Jon Harald Berge||{{NOR}}|| 25:10:00
|-
|2010||{{ill|Ivan Cudin|it||v=sup}}||{{ITA}}||23:03:06||Jan Albert Lantink  ||{{NED}}||23:31:00||Jan Prochaska||{{GER}}||24:56:00
|-
|2011||{{ill|Ivan Cudin|it||v=sup}}||{{ITA}}||22:57:40||Yuji Sakai||{{JPN}}||24:22:24||Michael Vanicek||{{GER}}||24:55:59
|-
|2012|| Stu Thoms || {{GER}} || 26:28:19<ref name="Sp2012">{{cite web|title=Finishers|url=http://www.spartathlon.gr/en/results/finishers.html|work=Spartathlon|access-date=17 October 2012}}</ref>||Tetsuo Kiso ||{{JPN}}||26:36:23||{{ill|Markus Thalmann|de||v=sup}}||{{AUT}}||27:14:25
|-
|2013|| João Oliveira || {{POR}} || 23:28:31 ||{{ill|Florian Reus|de||v=sup}}||{{GER}}||25:29:11||{{ill|Ivan Cudin|it||v=sup}}||{{ITA}}||25:53:44
|-
|2014||{{ill|Ivan Cudin|it||v=sup}}||{{ITA}}||22:27:57||{{ill|Florian Reus|de||v=sup}}||{{GER}} || 23:56:19 || Andrzej Radzikowski ||{{POL}}||25:48:25
|-
|2015||{{ill|Florian Reus|de||v=sup}}||{{GER}} || 23:16:44 ||[[Dan Lawson]] ||{{GBR}} || 23:53:05 || Hansen Kim ||{{DEN}}||23:53:52
|-
|2016|| Andrzej Radzikowski ||{{POL}} || 23:02:23 ||Marco Bonfiglio||{{ITA}} || 23:36:58 || {{ill|Radek Brunner|cs|v=sup}} ||{{CZE}}||24:07:29 
|-
|2017||[[Aleksandr Sorokin]]||{{LTU}}||22:04:04||{{ill|Radek Brunner|cs|v=sup}}||{{CZE}} || 22:49:37 || Nikolaos Sideridis ||{{GRE}}||	22:58:40 
|-
|2018|| Yoshihiko Ishikawa ||{{JAP}} || 22:55:13 ||{{ill|Radek Brunner|cs|v=sup}}||{{CZE}} || 23:37:25 || João Oliveira || {{POR}}||	24:34:30 
|-
|2019
|Bódis Tamás
|{{HUN}}
|23:29:24
|Csécsei Zoltán
|{{HUN}}
|24:16:59
|{{ill|Radek Brunner|cs|v=sup}}
|{{CZE}}
|24:26:20
|-
|2021
|{{ill|Fotis Zisimopoulos|el|Φώτης Ζησιμόπουλος|v=sup}}
|{{GRE}}
|21:57:36
|{{ill|Radek Brunner|cs|v=sup}}
|{{CZE}}
|23:17:49
|Milan Sumny
|{{CZE}}
|23:53:19
|-
|2022
|{{ill|Fotis Zisimopoulos|el|Φώτης Ζησιμόπουλος|v=sup}}
|{{GRE}}
|21:00:48
|Toru Somiya
|{{JPN}}
|21:18:04
|Yoshihiko Ishikawa
|{{JAP}}
|23:06:45
|-
|2023
|{{ill|Fotis Zisimopoulos|el|Φώτης Ζησιμόπουλος|v=sup}}
|{{GRE}}
|19:55:09 (Course Record)
|[[Simen Holvik]]
|{{NOR}}
|22:17:23
|[[Fernando Andres Martinez Roman]]
|{{URY}}
|23:32:59
|-
|2024
|{{ill|Fotis Zisimopoulos|el|Φώτης Ζησιμόπουλος|v=sup}}
|{{GRE}}
|20:18:23
|[[Martínez Roman Fernando Andres]]
|{{URU}}
|23:28:46
|[[Robin Florian]]
|{{FRA}}
|23:51:30

|}

===Women===
<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.spartathlon.gr/en/results/finishers.html|title=Αποτελέσματα}}</ref>

Time = hours:minutes:seconds

{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;"
!Year !!1st !!Nationality !!Time!!2nd!!Nationality!!Time!!3rd!!Nationality!!Time
|-
|1983 ||[[Eleanor Robinson]] (formerly Adams)||{{GBR}}||32:37:52
!—||—||—||—||—||—
|-
|1984 ||Mary Hanudel (later {{ill|Mary Larsson|sv||v=sup}})||{{USA}}||30:27:00|| Marcy Schwam<br>Lorna Richey (later Lorna Michael) || {{USA}}<br>{{USA}} || 34:15:10
!—||—||—
|-
|1985 ||Mary Hanudel (later {{ill|Mary Larsson|sv||v=sup}})||{{USA}}||34:10
!—||—||—||—||—||—
|-
|1986 ||Mary Hanudel (later {{ill|Mary Larsson|sv||v=sup}})||{{USA}}||31:46:45||Waltraud Reisert || {{GER}} || 33:21:00
!—||—||—
|-
|1987 || Hilary Walker || {{GBR}} || 31:23:30|| Waltraud Reisert ||{{GER}}||35:31:56||-||-||-
|-
|1988
!colspan="9"|—
|-
|1989 ||Mary Hanudel (later {{ill|Mary Larsson|sv||v=sup}})||{{USA}} || 31:57:23||Monika Kuno||{{GER}}||34:10:00||Eiko Endo||{{JPN}}|| 34:36:49
|-
|1990 || Anne-Marie Deguilhem || {{FRA}} || 34:07:41||{{ill|Pascale Mahé|fr||v=sup}}||{{FRA}}|| 35:08:03||{{ill|Mary Larsson|lt=Mary Hanudel-Larsson|sv||v=sup}}||{{USA}}|| 35:31:30
|-
|1991 || Ursula Blasberg || {{GER}} || 34:42:45
!—||—||—||—||—||—
|-
|1992 || Hilary Walker || {{GBR}} || 31:23:30||{{ill|Mary Larsson|lt=Mary Hanudel-Larsson|sv||v=sup}}||{{USA}}||33:47:00|| Miyako Yoshikoshi||{{JPN}}||33:47:52
|-
|1993 || Sigrid Lomsky || {{GER}} || 32:46:17||{{ill|Marie Mayeras-Bertrand|lt=Marie Bertrand|fr||v=sup}}||{{FRA}}||33:47:12|| Miyako Yoshikoshi||{{JPN}}||34:18:00
|-
|1994 ||[[Helga Backhaus]]|| {{GER}} || 30:39:00||Kazuko Kaihata||{{JPN}}||34:12:17||Miyako Yoshikoshi||{{JPN}}||34:33:21
|-
|1995||[[Helga Backhaus]]||{{GER}}||29:33:00||Miyako Yoshikoshi||{{JPN}}||33:47:52||Kimie Funada (later [[Kimie Noto]])||{{JPN}}||34:53:34
|-
|1996||[[Helga Backhaus]]||{{GER}}||29:50:00||{{ill|Mary Larsson|lt=Mary Hanudel|sv||v=sup}}||{{USA}}||30:27:00||Kimie Funada (later [[Kimie Noto]])||{{JPN}}||34:12:00
|-
|1997 || [[Helga Backhaus]]|| {{GER}} || 30:39:00||Kimie Funada (later [[Kimie Noto]])||{{JPN}}||33:36:00||Heike Pawzik||{{GER}}||33:46:00
|-
|1998 ||{{ill|Mary Larsson|sv||v=sup}}|| {{SWE}}|| 28:46.58||Kimie Funada (later [[Kimie Noto]])||{{JPN}}||29:32:21|| Helga Backhaus||{{GER}}||29:53:49
|-
|1999 || Anny Monot || {{FRA}} || 35:38:08||Kimie Funada (later [[Kimie Noto]])||{{JPN}}||35:41:31
!—||—||—
|-
|2000 || Hiroko Okiyama || {{JPN}} || 29:16:37||{{ill|Mary Larsson|sv|v=sup}}||{{USA}}||30:56:16||Helga Backhaus||{{GER}}||31:35:24
|-
|2001 || Alzira Portela-Lario || {{POR}} || 30:31:41||Kimie Funada (later [[Kimie Noto]])||{{JPN}}||33:49:17||Heike Pawzik||{{GER}}||34:41:10
|-
|2002 ||{{ill|Irina Reutovich|ru|Ирина Реутович|v=sup}}||{{RUS}}||28:10:48||Hiroko Okiyama||{{JPN}}||30:25:49||Mayumi Okabe||{{JPN}}||31:33:35
|-
|2003 || Akiko Sakamoto || {{JPN}} || 29:07:44||[[Sumie Inagaki]]||{{JPN}}||29:38:54||Barbara Szlachetka ||{{GER}}||31:50:23
|-
|2004 ||[[Kimie Noto]]||{{JPN}}||29:57:40|| Hiroko Okiyama||{{JPN}}||31:01:17|| Anke Drescher||{{GER}}|| 32:55:26
|-
|2005 ||[[Kimie Noto]]||{{JPN}}||30:23:07||Elke Streicher ||{{GER}}||32:19:59||Anke Drescher||{{GER}}||32:52:23
|-
|2006 ||[[Sumie Inagaki]]||{{JPN}}||28:37:20||Takako Furuyama||{{JPN}}|| 31:40:31 ||{{ill|Mary Larsson|lt=Mary Larsson-Hanudel|sv|Mary Larsson|v=sup}}||{{USA}}||  31:41:56
|-
|2007 || [[Akiko Sakamoto]]|| {{JPN}} || 31:09:24||{{ill|Brigitte Bec|fr||v=sup}}||{{FRA}}||31:56:03||[[Kimie Noto]] ||{{JPN}}||32:11:05
|-
|2008 || Sook-Hue Hur || {{KOR}} || 30:03:22||Stacey Bunton ||{{USA}}||31:25:59||Heinlein Marika ||{{GER}}||31:39:19
|-
|2009 || [[Sumie Inagaki]] || {{JPN}} || 27:39:49|| Yoshiko Matsuda||{{JPN}}||31:16:00||Lisa Bliss||{{USA}}||  32:27:00
|-
|2010 || Emily Gelder || {{GBR}} || 30:17:03||Heather Fouwdlink-Hawker||{{GBR}}||32:43:00||Yoshiko Matsuda||{{JPN}}||33:31:00
|-
|2011 ||{{ill|Szilvia Lubics|hu||v=sup}}|| {{HUN}} || 29:07:39||Ruth Podgornik Res  ||{{SLO}}||32:17:19||Mimi Anderson||{{GRB}}||32:33:23
|-
|2012 || [[Elizabeth Hawker]] (also 3rd overall that year)<ref name=":0" /> || {{GBR}} || 27:02:17<ref name="Sp2012" />||Leonie van den Haak  ||{{NED}}||28:42:36||{{ill|Szilvia Lubics|hu||v=sup}}||{{HUN}}||29:45:56
|-
|2013 ||{{ill|Szilvia Lubics|hu||v=sup}}||{{HUN}}||28:03:04||Antje Krause||{{GER}}||30:07:15||Heike Bergmann ||{{GER}}||30:22:03
|-
|2014 ||{{ill|Szilvia Lubics|hu||v=sup}}||{{HUN}}||26:53:40||[[Katalin Nagy]]||{{USA}}|| 28:55:03 || Eva Esnaola || {{ESP}} || 30:52:41
|-
|2015 ||[[Katalin Nagy]]||{{USA}} || 25:06:05 || Alyson Venti || {{USA}}||26:50:51 ||{{ill|Szilvia Lubics|hu||v=sup}}||{{HUN}}||29:18:44
|-
|2016 ||[[Katalin Nagy]]||{{USA}}|| 25:22:26 || Smith Pam || {{USA}}||27:11:53 ||Zsuzsanna Maraz||{{HUN}}||27:44:01
|-
|2017||[[Patrycja Bereznowska]]||{{POL}}||24:48:18|| Zsuzsanna Maraz || {{HUN}}||25:43:40 ||{{ill|Aleksandra Niwińska|pl||v=sup}}||{{POL}}||26:28:48
|-
|2018 || Zsuzsanna Maraz || {{HUN}} || 27:05:28 || Kateřina Kašparová || {{CZE}}||27:47:16 ||Teija Honkonen ||{{FIN}}||28:36:08
|-
|2019
|Zsuzsanna Maraz
|{{HUN}}
|30:16:18
|Irina Masanova
|{{RUS}}
|31:18:08
|Natasa Robnik
|{{SLO}}
|32:15:31
|-
|2021
|Diana Dzaviza 
|{{LAT}}
|25:24:25
|Zsuzsanna Maraz
|{{HUN}}
|26:00:14
|Noora Honkala 
|{{FIN}}
|26:27:14
|-
|2022
|Diana Dzaviza
|{{LAT}}
|25:03:07
|Marisa Lizak
|{{USA}}
|25:34:00
|Mica Morgan
|{{USA}}
|27:23:44
|-
|2023
|[[Camille Herron]]
|{{USA}}
|22:35:31 (Course Record)
|[[Noora Honkala]]
|{{FIN}}
|23:23:03
|[[Satu Lipiainen]]
|{{FIN}}
|23:48:34
|-
|2024
|[[Noora Honkala]]
|{{FIN}}
|24:25:08
|Perez Serano Carmen Maria
|{{ESP}}
|25:34:13
|Caliskaner Line
|{{NOR}}
|26:24:51
|}

=== All-Time top 50 Women's performances ===
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!
!Athlete
!Time
!Country
!Year
!Place
!Age
|-
|1
|[[Camille Herron]]
|22:35:31
|USA
|2023
|1
|41
|-
|2
|[[Noora Honkala]]
|23:23:03
|FIN
|2023
|2
|31
|-
|3
|[[Satu Lipiainen]]
|23:48:34
|FIN
|2023
|3
|27
|-
|4
|[[Patrycja Bereznowska]]
|24:48:18
|POL
|2017
|1
|41
|-
|5
|[[Diana Dzaviza]]
|25:03:41
|LAT
|2022
|1
|35
|-
|6
|[[Katalin Nagy]]
|25:07:12
|USA
|2015
|1
|36
|-
|7
|[[Katalin Nagy]]
|25:23:52
|USA
|2016
|1
|37
|-
|8
|[[Diana Dzaviza]]
|25:24:25
|LAT
|2021
|1
|34
|-
|9
|[[Marisa Lizak]]
|25:34:18
|USA
|2022
|2
|43
|-
|10
|[[Zsuzsanna Maraz]]
|25:43:40
|HUN
|2017
|2
|47
|-
|11
|[[Zsuzsanna Maraz]]
|26:00:14
|HUN
|2021
|2
|51
|-
|12
|[[Noora Honkala]]
|26:27:14
|FIN
|2021
|3
|29
|-
|13
|Aleksandra Niwińska
|26:28:48
|POL
|2017
|3
|31
|-
|14
|Alyson Venti
|26:50:51
|USA
|2015
|2
|33
|-
|15
|[[Szilvia Lubics]]
|26:53:40
|HUN
|2014
|1
|40
|-
|16
|Stine Rex
|26:58:16
|DEN
|2017
|4
|38
|-
|17
|[[Lizzy Hawker]]
|27:02:17
|GBR
|2012
|1
|36
|-
|18
|Marisa Lizak
|27:05:08
|USA
|2021
|4
|42
|-
|19
|[[Zsuzsanna Maraz]]
|27:05:28
|HUN
|2018
|1
|48
|-
|20
|Pam Smith
|27:13:31
|USA
|2016
|2
|42
|-
|21
|[[Zsuzsanna Maraz]]
|27:16:26
|HUN
|2019
|1
|49
|-
|22
|Veronika Jurisic
|27:19:27
|CRO
|2017
|5
|40
|-
|23
|Micah Morgan
|27:24:01
|USA
|2022
|3
|39
|-
|24
|[[Sumie Inagaki]]
|27:39:49
|JPN
|2009
|1
|43
|-
|25
|[[Zsuzsanna Maraz]]
|27:45:42
|HUN
|2016
|3
|46
|-
|26
|Kateřina Kašparová
|27:47:16
|CZE
|2018
|2
|32
|-
|27
|Szvetlana Zétényi 
|27:57:49
|HUN
|2023
|4
|47
|-
|28
|[[Szilvia Lubics]]
|28:03:04
|HUN
|2013
|1
|39
|-
|29
|Irina Reutovich
|28:10:48
|RUS
|2002
|1
|52
|-
|30
|Antje Krause
|28:13:57
|GER
|2017
|6
|45
|-
|31
|Irina Masanova
|28:18:16
|RUS
|2019
|2
|35
|-
|32
|Rex Stine
|28:18:35
|DEN
|2023
|5
|44
|-
|33
|Szvetlana Zétényi
|28:26:25
|HUN
|2021
|5
|45
|-
|34
|Teija Honkonen
|28:36:08
|FIN
|2018
|3
|41
|-
|35
|Georgia Manta
|28:36:15
|GRE
|2018
|4
|41
|-
|36
|[[Sumie Inagaki]]
|28:37:20
|JPN
|2006
|1
|40
|-
|37
|Leonie den van Haak
|28:42:36
|NLD
|2012
|2
|31
|-
|38
|Mary Larsson-Hanudel
|28:46:58
|USA
|1998
|1
|38
|-
|39
|Cat Simpson
|28:52:03
|GBR
|2018
|5
|34
|-
|40
|[[Katalin Nagy]]
|28:55:03
|USA
|2014
|2
|35
|-
|41
|Ali Young
|28:57:04
|GBR
|2022
|4
|49
|-
|42
|[[Szilvia Lubics]]
|29:06:50
|HUN
|2011
|1
|37
|-
|43
|Sarah Mangler
|29:10:13
|GER
|2023
|6
|41
|-
|44
|Martha Xirofotou
|29:14:22
|GRE
|2023
|7
|40
|-
|45
|[[Natasa Robnik]]
|29:15:39
|SLO
|2019
|3
|44
|-
|46
|[[Szilvia Lubics]]
|29:18:44
|HUN
|2015
|3
|41
|-
|47
|Natasa Robnik
|29:27:15
|SLO
|2015
|4
|40
|-
|48
|Ali Young
|29:28:41
|GBR
|2023
|8
|50
|-
|49
|Paula Vrdoljak
|29:31:58
|CRO
|2023
|9
|42
|-
|50
|[[Kimie Noto]] (Funada)
|29:32:21
|JPN
|1998
|2
|47
|}

===All-time top 50 Men's performances===

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! !! Athlete !! Time !! Country !! Year !! Place !! Age
|-
|1
|[[Fotis Zisimopoulos]]
|19:55:09
|GRE
|2023
|1
|41
|-
|2 || [[Fotis Zisimopoulos]]|| 20:18:43 || GRE || 2024 || 1 || 42
|-
|3 || [[Yiannis Kouros]]|| 20:25:00 || GRE || 1984 || 1 || 28
|-
|4 || [[Yiannis Kouros]]|| 20:29:04 || GRE || 1990 || 1 || 34
|-
|5 |||{{ill|Fotis Zisimopoulos|el|Φώτης Ζησιμόπουλος|v=sup}}||21:00:48 || GRE || 2022 || 1 ||39
|-
|6 || Toru Somiya || 21:18:04 || JPN || 2022 || 2 || 42
|-
|7 || [[Yiannis Kouros]]|| 21:53:42 || GRE || 1983 || 1 || 27
|-
|8|||[[Yiannis Kouros]]||21:57:00 || GRE || 1986 || 1 ||30
|-
|9 || {{ill|Fotis Zisimopoulos|el|Φώτης Ζησιμόπουλος|v=sup}}|| 21:57:36 || GRE || 2021 || 1 || 38
|-
|10 || [[Aleksandr Sorokin]]|| 22:04:04 || LTU || 2017 || 1 || 36
|-
|11
|[[Simen Holvik]]
|22:17:23
|NOR
|2023
|2
|46
|-
|12 || [[Scott Jurek]]|| 22:20:01 || USA || 2008 || 1 || 34
|-
|13 || {{Ill|Ivan Cudin|it|v=sup}}|| 22:29:29 || ITA || 2014 || 1 || 39
|-
|14 || {{ill|Radek Brunner|cs|v=sup}}|| 22:49:37 || CZE || 2017 || 2 || 42
|-
|15 || [[Scott Jurek]]|| 22:52:18 || USA || 2006 || 1 || 32
|-
|16 || Yoshihiko Ishikawa|| 22:55:13|| JPN || 2018 || 1 || 30
|-
|17 ||{{Ill|Ivan Cudin|it|v=sup}}|| 22:57:40 || ITA ||2011 ||1 || 36
|-
|18 || Nikolaos Sideridis || 22:58:40 || GRE || 2017 || 3 || 36
|-
|19 || Andrzej Radzikowski|| 23:02:23 || POL || 2016 || 1 || 35
|-
|20 || {{Ill|Ivan Cudin|it|v=sup}}|| 23:03:06 || ITA || 2010 || 1 || 35
|-
|21 || Yoshihiko Ishikawa || 23:06:45 || JPN || 2022 || 3 || 34
|-
|22 || Patrick Macke|| 23:08:41 || GBR || 1990 || 2 || 35
|-
|23 || [[Scott Jurek]]|| 23:12:14 || USA || 2007 || 1 || 33
|-
|24 || {{Ill|Florian Reus|de|v=sup}}|| 23:17:31 || GER || 2015 || 1 || 31
|-
|25 || {{ill|Radek Brunner|cs|v=sup}}|| 23:17:49 || CZE || 2021 || 2 || 48
|-
|26 || Patrick Macke|| 23:18:00 || GBR || 1985 || 1 || 30
|-
|27 || [[Valmir Nunes]]|| 23:18:05 || BRA || 2001 || 1 || 37
|-
|28 || [[Yoshihiko Ishikawa]]||23:20:56 || JPN ||2017 || 4 ||29
|-
|29
|[[Tibor Eros]]
|23:23:53
|HUN
|2022
|4
|46
|-
|30 || {{Ill|Markus Thalmann|de|v=sup}}|| 23:28:24 || AUT || 2003 || 1 || 39
|-
|31 || Martínez Roman Fernando Andres|| 23:28:46 || URU || 2024 || 2 || 49
|-
|32 || Joao Oliveira || 23:29:08 || POR || 2013 || 1 || 36
|-
|33 || Bodis Tamas|| 23:29:24 || HUN || 2019 || 1 || 31
|-
|34 || Jan Lantink-Albert|| 23:31:22 || HOL || 2010 || 2 || 52
|-
|35
|Fernando Andres Martinez Roman
|23:32:59
|URU
|2023
|3
|48
|-
|36 || Marco Bonfiglio|| 23:36:58 || ITA || 2016 || 2 || 39
|-
|37 || Kostas Reppos|| 23:37:00 || GRE || 1997 || 1 || 31
|-
|38 || {{ill|Radek Brunner|cs|v=sup}}|| 23:37:25 || CZE || 2018 || 2 || 44
|-
|39
|Valdenir Jandosa
|23:37:33
|BRA
|2023
|4
|44
|-
|40
|Peter Gaspar
|23:41:56
|HUN
|2023
|5
|42
|-
|41 || {{Ill|Dušan Mravlje|sl|v=sup}}|| 23:44:00 || YUG || 1985 || 2 || 32
|-
|42 || [[Ryōichi Sekiya]]||23:47:54 || JPN || 2002 || 1 || 35
|-
|43 || [[Ryōichi Sekiya]]|| 23:48:24 || JPN || 2009 || 1 || 42
|-
|44 || [[Florian Robin]]|| 23:51:30 || FRA || 2024 || 3 || 
|-
|45
|Milan Sumny
|23:53:19
|CZE
|2021
|3
|46
|-
|47 || [[Dan Lawson]]|| 23:53:32 || GBR || 2015 || 2 || 42
|-
|48 || Kim Hansen|| 23:54:37 || DEN || 2015 || 3 || 40
|-
|49 || {{Ill|Florian Reus|de|v=sup}}||23:57:13|| GER || 2014 || 2 || 30
|-
|50 || Ohtaki Masayuki|| 24:01:10 || JPN || 2000 || 1 || 34
|-
|}<ref>{{Cite web|title=Results|url=https://www.spartathlon.gr/en/races/race-results-en.html|access-date=2021-10-02|website=www.spartathlon.gr}}</ref><ref>Spartathlon 1983-2017, International Spartathlon Association, 7 Kodrou street, 10558, Athens, Greece</ref>

==References==
<references />

==External links==
{{commons}}
* [http://www.spartathlon.gr/ Official Website for Spartathlon]
* [http://www.ultraned.org/n_item/f1286.php John Foden's article on how the Spartathlon has changed over the years]
* [http://www.ultraned.org/n_item/f1395.php John Foden's article on time spent at refreshment points]
* [https://ultrarunninghistory.com/spartathlon-1/ Spartathlon Part 1 (1982) – The Birth]
* [https://ultrarunninghistory.com/spartathlon-2/ Spartathlon Part 2 (1983) – The First Race]

[[Category:Ultramarathons]]
[[Category:Sport in Greece]]
[[Category:Sparta]]
[[Category:Battle of Marathon]]
[[Category:Athletic culture based on Greek antiquity]]
[[Category:Athletics competitions in Greece]]
[[Category:1983 establishments in Greece]]