OUR Fotis Tsisimopoulos took first place in last year’s Spartathlon. This is an international ultramarathon run of 246.8 km. It has been held in Greece since 1983 along the Athens-Sparta route.

Yannis Kouros became the winner of the first Spartathlon. The Greek ultramarathon runner also holds the distance record with 20 hours and 25 minutes.

Fotis Tsisimopoulos, 40, a police officer by profession, has finished first in 2021 with a time of 21 hours 57 minutes 37 seconds. He was the first Greek to win the race since 1998.

The athlete, originally from Agrinio, will take part in the event again this year (30/9) and told K about his big goal.

“What I remember most vividly is the reception of people and the pulse that existed. It was a unique feeling when you finish in such a race. There was a lot of support from the people during the course, but also excitement because I was the first Greek to take first place after 23 years,” recalls Fotis Tsisimopoulos in his 2021 Spartathlon memoir.

His fellow villagers in Agrinio greeted him as a hero after that battle. “It was something I didn’t expect,” admits the Greek ultra-marathoner “K”.

He described his efforts last year: “There is fatigue in the race, which is logical. Each athlete follows his own tactics. In a race this long, anything can happen. I was helped a lot by the people who supported me along the way.”

“The feeling is indescribable when you finish after such a race. The voices of the people, as well as the love I have received since then, have been my reward,” Fotis Tsisimopoulos told K.

The 40-year-old athlete will again take part in Spartathlon this year with the big goal of not only first place, but also a personal time record. “My main goal is of course to finish in first place again this year. It’s not something easy, like it wasn’t last year. However, I believe that I can do it. I think that if the race goes well for me, I will be able to show a better time than last year. But this is what will be seen at that moment, ”he said in a conversation with K.

“Large distances are not something easy and simple. It takes a lot of exercise and good nutrition. I train almost every day and run 200 to 250 kilometers a week. I have interval training in my program, as well as more “relaxed” workouts, when the pace is reduced, but there are still a lot of kilometers,” Fotis Tsisimopoulos told “K” about his training.

As a police officer by profession and with two children, it is difficult for me to combine work, family life and education. “I have to be consistent in my commitment to both my family and my work. At the same time, I have to find free time for training. It is not easy, but if you are doing what you love, then none of this seems to you. After all, everyone’s life has become … an ultra-route with its ups and downs.

“I have always liked sports and I started running in 2007. In 2018, I began to work out more intensively and with training. In parallel, I read several books, and I also liked the stories that are born thanks to sports. Long distances are tiring, but the feeling that the sport gives is unique. Pain and fatigue are always there, but I don’t think about it, because I do what I love and fill up at the same time, ”admitted Fotis Tsisimopoulos.