Italy’s Cudin wins Spartathlon
Italian runner Ivan Cudin won the 245.3km historic Spartathlon race on Saturday for a third time, clocking 22 hours, 29 minutes and 29 seconds.
Cubin, 39, fourth last year, also won in 2010 and 2011.
Finishing second for a second year in a row was Germany’s 30-year-old Florian Reus in 23:57.13 while 33-year-old Andrzej Radzikowski of Poland was third in 25:49.05.
The first woman across the line for a second year in a row was 40-year-old Szilvia Lubics of Hungary in 26:53.40. She was ninth overall.
The race traces the classical route of Pheidippides, an Athenian messenger sent to Sparta in 490 BC to seek help against the Persians in the Battle of Marathon.
The Spartathlon is one of the world’s most difficult races, run over rough tracks, crossing vineyards and olive groves, steep hillsides and, most challenging of all, the 1,200m ascent and descent of Mount Parthenio in the dead of night.
The race started at the Acropolis in Athens on Friday and ended in the southern Greek town of Sparta.
The top five finishers:
1. Ivan Cudin (ITA) 22hr 29min 29sec
2. Florian Reus (GER) 23:57.13
3. Andrzej Redzikowski (POL) 25:49.05
4. Marco Bonfiglio (ITA) 26:01.26
5. Dietmar Goebel (GER) 26:15.57
[AFP]
