After five years of running long-distance races all over the world and in all types of conditions, you may think it is hard to find a race which may present a challenge difficult enough to make me doubt my ability to complete it. And here it is the Spartathlon, the race attracting the best ultra runners in the world for more than 30 years. There is nothing crazy about terrain and nothing dangerous lurking in the bushes, it is as simple as brutally difficult: to run from Athens to Sparta 246km in no more than 36 hours, the legend route taken by Pheidippides. Add to it the temperature of around 30 degrees with the burning sun and it becomes clear why more than half of runners achieving high qualifying standards* do not finish the race every year. My training for this monster included a few other tough enough event such as Marathon Des Sables in the Sahara, Lake District 100 miles through the mountainous and the most beautiful region in the UK and Race the Wall Ultra 69 miles where I managed to take the third place out of almost thousand competitors.

I would like to dedicate my hard training and an effort to the great work of charity Gift of Life. They help children with cancer in Russia and I truly admire results they achieved since the charity was created 11 years ago. From being met with scepticism everywhere a little bit longer than a decade ago they managed to revolutionise the oncology by bringing best doctors, buying equipment and medicine and even participating in building new hospitals to help save hundreds children every year.

Thank you for your support!


* Different qualifying standards depending on the distance such as 100km under 10 hours or cover 180km in 24 hours race