Our Athletes
Dean Karnazes
Ultramarathon runner & endurance athlete
Named by TIME magazine as one of the "100 Most Influential People in the World," Dean Karnazes has pushed his body and mind to inconceivable limits. Among his many accomplishments, he has run 50 marathons, in all 50 US states, in 50 consecutive days. He's run across Death Valley in the middle of summer, and he's run a marathon to the South Pole.
On ten separate occasions he's run a 200-mile relay race solo, racing alongside teams of twelve. His list of competitive achievements include winning the World's Toughest Footrace, the Badwater Ultramarathon, and winning the 4 Deserts Challenge, racing in the hottest, driest, windiest and coldest places on earth.
A NY Times bestselling author, Dean is a frequent speaker and panelist at many running and sporting events worldwide.
Author of the best-selling "Ultramarathon Man: Confessions of an All-Night Runner" and many other books in the field.
It is impossible to fit the accomplishments of this personality into this short presentation
We refer to ultramarathonman.com
Running highlights and race results
Dean Karnazes has completed a number of endurance events, mostly running events, but also a swimming event.Most notable achievements include:
• Ran 350 miles (560 km) in 80 hours and 44 minutes without sleep in 2005.• Completed "The Relay", a 199-mile (320 km) run from Calistoga to Santa Cruz, eleven times
• Ran a marathon to the South Pole in −13 °F (−25 °C) temperatures without snowshoes in 2002
• Ran a marathon in each of the 50 states in 50 consecutive days in 2006
Other athletic achievements include:
• Winner, Badwater Ultramarathon (135 miles (217 km) across Death Valley in 120 °F (49 °C) temperatures), 2004 (with five other top-10 finishes from 2000 to 2008)
• Winner, Vermont Trail 100 Mile Endurance Run, 2006
• Overall Winner, 4 Deserts Race Series, 2008
• American Ultrarunning Team, World Championships, 2005, 2008
• 148 miles (238 km) in 24 hours on a treadmill, 2004
• Eleven-time 100-Mile/1 Day Silver Buckleholder at the Western States Endurance Run (i.e., better than ten twenty-four-hour finishes), 1995–2006
• Ran 3,000 miles (4,800 km) across the United States from Disneyland to New York City in 75 days, running 40 to 50 miles (65 to 80 km) per day, 2011
• Swimming across the San Francisco Bay
Other honors include:
• Competitor magazine Endurance Athlete of the Year Award winner, 2008, 2006, 2005
• ESPN ESPY Award winner, "Best Outdoor Athlete", 2007
• Men's Journal, Adventure Hall of Fame, 2007
• Outside magazine, Ultimate Top 10 Outdoor Athletes, 2004
Jo Manta
Runner
Georgia (Jo) Manta is one of the greatest Greek female ultramarathon runners.
• 2nd place in the women's category and 6th overall in "The World's Toughest Foot Race", the Badwater 135 mile ultramarathon of 2022, in Death Valley, California. She finished in an incredible time of 28:45:32
• She has achieved the best performance ever by Greek woman in Spartathlon race with 28:35 hours finishing in 4th place.
• In Andorra Ronda Del Cims, 170km and + 13,500m elevation gain she finished at the 6th place among women and the 2nd place in her age group.
• 1st place in Olympus Ultra
• On the hishest step of the podium in ROUT 2022 , 175km,+9000 elevation gain.
• 2 times on the highest step of the podium in ROUT 100miles with best performance in the 26 hours.
• 1st place and women's race record holder in Dromos Athanaton (Immortals Race) 142km.
• 1st place and women's race record holder in Eychidios Athlos 107km .
• She has finished and distinguished in a multitude of ultramarathon races.
She is a HOKA TEAM HELLAS athlete
Maria Polyzoi
Runner
•
National record of the 12-hour race with a performance of 118km and ...
National record for age category W45 in 100km with a performance of 10:06:55 at the Atromitos Ultra 20233
• 3rd place for Maria in the 8th road of Immortals 142km and time 16:17:20. With a personal best improved by 2 hours and only 5 minutes behind 1st place.
• 3rd place in her 1st participation in the 2023 Spartathlon with a time of 34:17:35
• Maria sets an example as a role of a woman who can combine art (music), family and running ultra at the elite level.
Nikos Rodopoulos
Runner
• 1st place Cappadocia Ultra Trail: 64km 6 Hours
• 2nd place Dead Sea Marathon (on a dirt road): 2 Hours 47min
• 2nd place Ursa Trail: 100km 5700 elevation gain 12 Hours 20 min
• 4η place Immortals Race: Tripolis-Sparta-Mistra-Kalamata 142 km 3000 elevation gain 12 Hours 20 min
• 1st Place Anthimos Argiropoulos: Arta-Theodoriana 80km 2000 elevation gain 6 Hours 30min
With participations in over 120 races of which 40 in the top 3 places.
Sofokleous Giannis
Kick Boxer
• Mediterranean Champion (76kg) – 1999
• 1st Place World Kickboxing Championship (76kg) – 2000
• European Champion (76 kg) – 2001
• 1st Place Asian Open Championship WPKA (79 kg) – 2001
• 1st Place World Kickboxing Championship (76kg) – 2002
• 1st Place World Kickboxing Championship (76kg) – 2004
• World Champion WPKA (76 kg) – 2007
• 1st Place PAN-HELLENIC FEDERATION OF KICKBOXING (81 kg) – 2007
• 1st Place International Champioship K1 (82 kg) – 2008
• World Champion WAKO – 2010
• World Champion WPKA – 2012
• WKU European Title-Belt K-1 (Crete October 2013)
• WKU European Title-Belt K-1 (Athens March 2014)
• WKU World Title-Belt Low Kicks
• WKU World Title-Belt K-1 (Cyprus July 2014)
• WKU World Title-Belt K-1 (Germany September 2014)
• WKU World Title-Belt K-1 (China October 2014)
• ISKA Intercontinental Title-Belt, (Αθήνα Μάρτιος 2015)
• WKU World Title-Belt (Athens 2016)
•. WKU World Title-Belt (Athens 2019)
•. WKU World Title-Belt (Germany 2020)
• 3rd Place “Acropolis” Championship (81 kg) – 2007
• 3rd Place Hellenic Junior First Division Championship (81kg) – 2007
• 3rd Place Hellenic Junior First Division Championship (75 kg) – 2003
• 1st Place Hellenic National Forces Championship (81 kg) – 2002
• 1st Place Hellenic Junior Second Division Championship (81 kg) – 2002
• 1st Place Hellenic Adolescent Championship (75 kg) – 1997
• 1st Place Hellenic Championship Second Division A
Rafaela Arambatzi
Boxer
• Greek Champion in Boxing for 5 (five) consecutive years in the categories of Pankorasides (Pangirl)- Girls – Junior Girls
• Member of the National Team of the Hellenic Boxing Federation in the categories of Girls and Junior Girls
Has participated in 4 (four) European Championships
Has won:
• 1st Place in the First International Boxing Cup for Children – Girls in Vrbas, Serbia in 2017
• 3rd Place, International Boxing Cup for Girls – Junior Girls – Women in Sobor, Serbia from 09-15/012018.
• 3rd Place, International Boxing Cup for Junior Girls – Women in Bovegrad, Bulgaria, 2018
• 2nd Place, Second EURO CUP 2019 in Bosnia-Herzegovina in 2019
• 3rd Place, 24th International Youth Boxing Tournament “Brandenburg Cup 2019” (Oder-Frankfurt, Germany) in 2019.
Golis Giorgos
Runner
• Won the 3rd place in the international mountain ultramarathon “Frozen Peaks Panorama 2021” with an elevation gain of 12.202 meters and a distance of 263 km. This was the best performance ever achieved by a Greek athlete – 47:43:00.
• He was the 5th Greek to finish the Spartathlon 2018 race with a time of 30:07:17, and that being his maiden participation.
Giorgos Tasios
Runner
Won:
• 1st place among the Greeks in the 246 km Spartathlon race in 2019, achieving a personal record with a time of 26:33:12
• 1st place in the 130 km Lakedaimonios Race in 2019, with a time of 12:22:36
• 1st place in the 142 km Dromos Athanaton race in 2017, with a time of 10:05:12
• 1st place in the 111 km Ultra Race Pame Rio in 2020, with a time of 13:0236,
Thanasis Stimoniaris
Runner
The timeless bearer of tidings with the gentle soul.
The athlete with the best performance among Greek ultramarathon runners - 788km in 6 days !!! after of course the legendary Giannis Kouros, and the best performance in the world for the age category of 55 - 60 years old in 2023 !!!
• 1st place in the Transylvania 6 Days (788km) 2023
• 1st place in the Transylvania 6 Days (705km) 2022
• 1st place in the 500 km race No Finish Line Athens 2019
• 1st place in the 311 km race “Run without Finishing” in 2018
• 3rd place in Panorama Frozen Peaks 2022 269km +12659 positive altitude
• Finished the 246 km race Spartathlon 4 times
• Finished the 263 km and 12.200m elevation gain race Frozen Peaks 3 times
• Finished the 255 km “Dolichos” race twice
• Finished the VFUT Trail 7 times
• Finished the 180 km “Aethlios” race twice
• Finished the 107km «Efchidios Athlos» race thrice
Τhe total number of races are equal to the number of his participations.
Karaiosif Ilias
Runner
• He won the 2nd place on the podium, the 1st among the Greek runners, in the 7th International Road Race "Dolichos" 2018 (Delphi - Olympia 255km) with a time of 37 hours and 43 minutes, which is also a track record for a Greek athlete.
• Finished 4th Greek ultra-marathon runner with a personal best in the 2019 Spartathlon with a time of 30:36:14
• He bore the national colours of our country at the IAU 100km World Championship in 2018
• 1st place in the 80 km “Gyra Manis” race with a time of 07:26
Koutsouradis Giannis
Triathlete
The winner of The Ultraman Challenge Israel 2023.
The Xtreme, IRONMAN triathlete from the island of Chios, 2022 IRONMAN World Championship participant
6th place at overall ranking in Pirene Extreme Triathlon5th place overall in the KOA Ultraman España .
1st winner with a Personal Best and a time of 17:09:21 in the Olympos X 2020, the most extreme triathlon in Greece with 4 km swimming, 191 km 4800 meters of elevation gain, a 40 km trail run with 2250 meters total elevation gain and countless participations in international Xtreme triathlons, both IRONMAN full and half distance.Indicative participations last year
• IRONMAN Lanzarote 2021 11:13:17, 1st Greek, 33rd in his age category
• IRONMAN Tallin 2021 09:56:18, 19th in his age category
• ICON 2021 16:29:03, 20th in the general placing, a race with over 100 unfinished participations
Malamidis Sakis
Runner
The guy next door.
An athlete with many participations in most of Greece’s toughest mountain ultramarathons who decided to get ahead of himself.
One of the two first Greeks who took a crack at the Transpyrenea 2016 race.
A 900 km race and 55.000 meters elevation gain, with a time limit of 400 hours. I.e. a distance two and a half time that of the Tor Des Geants race, the running speed being that of the Tor Des Geants, but with a triple-weighing load on his back.
With limited – semi-autonomous – support and refreshment stations being 30 and 60 kms away from each other.
When you finish such a race you are no longer the same person.
Sykoudis Nikos
Runner
A Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu athlete who at some point decided to make a 180 degree turn from a dynamic power sport to a high endurance sport.
In the first 6 months of his involvement with the triathlon and under the guidance of Giannis Tzanetakis, he finished the Almyra Man race (Half Ironman in distance) and a year later he became the first Greek to finish the Weymouth Ironman race.
Kotalakidis Kostas
Runner
Kotalakidis Kostas, the ultramarathon runner from the city of Serres, who after consecutive finishes in some of Greece’s most demanding ultramarathons, and finishes in various international ones, he took on the Tor De Geants challenge in 2019, a 330 km and 24000 meter elevation gain race, finishing in 144 hours and 39 seconds in one of the world’s most difficult mountain ultramarathons in the Italian Alps.
Lambrinos Kostas
Runner
The ultramarathon runner from the district of Laconia, with the 2nd place - 1st Greek in Dolichos Road 2022, 255 km, +5420 elevation gain, with the 2nd place - 1st in his age group in VFUT 2022 165km, with the 4th place - 2nd Greek in Olympus Mythical Trail 2022, with a 3rd place on the winning podium in the “Efchidios Athlos” race in 2019, with a time of 10:54. He’s also achieved four consecutive Spartathlon finishes, his best personal performance being 33:00 hours, and numerous personal bests in marathons and ultramarathons.
A continuous exceeding of the personal limits that he himself sets each time.
Tsoumaridis Konstantinos
Runner
The ultramarathon runner from the city of Drama on a steady upward course. He has already achieved a 3rd place on the winner podium of his category, and a 7th place in the general results of the 24-hour international race of IAU S24h 2018 in Timosoara, Romania.
He won (1st place) in the 24-hour Salonika Run 2019, and in the
Spartathlon race 2021, he was the one among the Greeks who finished 7th with a time of 33:50:45.
Anastasiadis Panagiotis
Runner
I am Panagiotis Anastasiadis. A 42 year old father of two wonderful girls, and I live with the ideal for me partner, in a village of Kavala. I was a couch potato and overweight, until I decided to see myself the way I really wanted to be.
I started a proper nutrition diet, cycling and kickboxing until I reached 100 kg from the 120 I was. I had already achieved my initial goal, when I met, for the first time, Giannis Tzanetakis in a trail race in the area. Thus began my journey.
The search for my own Ithaca.
When I started off, I couldn’ t even run 5km without slowing down and walking before taking to running again.
Time passed and little by little this 5 km run started to become easier. The training distances increased. So did the speed. The distance of the races I participated in gradually also increased.
I got to the point of running the 165km of the Paranesti trail race in 2019 and finished, being in a good physical state, while my psychological state was tremendous.
2020 was a different year. Difficult for everyone, but even more so for my family and myself.
Cancer knocked on my door.
In September I started chemotherapy for lymphoma. . It was a challenging period for the family and especially for me. My body was changing, my stamina was gone and my old, overweight and lacking confidence, self was back.
Cancer was defeated, but it had left behind was many kilos that weighed both on my body and my soul.
I looked at my reflection in the mirror and was in no mood to start off again. 5 kms. They seemed like an ultramarathon. But then I remembered Giannis who had always told me that with patience, perseverance and dedication every goal is achievable.
The only fight that is lost is the one that is never given.
I remembered how I started off in 2015 and what I managed to achieve with the guidance of Giannis and I believed that I would be able to overcome myself once again.
I believed that, yes! I can overstep the limit once again. Yes! ! I can and I will!