One of the world's toughest ultramarathons

The Spartathlon, first run in 1983, retraces the roughly 246-kilometer route the ancient messenger Pheidippides is said to have covered from Athens to Sparta to seek military help before the Battle of Marathon. Runners must finish within 36 hours, and the course's heat, hills and cumulative distance have made it one of the most demanding ultramarathons in the world. The race was inspired by a British RAF team that proved the run was physically possible in 1982.