Basic Stats
- Finishing all Marathons in less than 4 hours
I successfully completed all 30 Marathons in 30 months in less than 4 hours (ranging from 3:31 to 3:59). 3:55 was definitively my preferred time 😊.
- One Marathon every 2-3 weeks
As near-by Marathons are not available in the winter and in the summer, I run 5 Marathons 2 weeks after the previous one and 12 Marathons 3 weeks after the previous one 😮 (often 6 Marathons in 3 months), requiring high-end optimisation of recovery, peaking and tapering.
- 68 Marathons in total
This last Marathon was my 23rd in my home-city Athens and my 68th Marathon in total 😮.
- Run twice around the earth
I started running long distance just before the age of 16 and since then I keep an excel file logging my kilometers every day 😮 and I am expecting to reach 80.000km by the end of this year, which is twice the perimeter of the earth 😊.
Amazing Challenges
- Easier than expected
That was my biggest surprise. Completing the 30 Marathons, was much easier than initially thought as my body was making astonishing adaptations after each Marathon throughout the 30 months. In fact, the best training for a Marathon is to run Marathons 😊.
The immense joy at every mile, among happy runners, enthusiastic fans and unique moments of ecstasy and excitement at every start, every finish and every beautiful place made the challenge much easier.
- Persistence and adaptation
Being systematic in planning training and races and flexibly adapting according to problems were the keys to success.
The biggest challenge was to preparing, organizing and running a Marathon every few weeks together with an overloaded work and travel schedule, full of restrictions, surprises and limited time. It was a wonderful race against time every minute of these 30 months.
- The challenging Marathons
Of course, in a few critical moments I weighed my strength a lot for not giving up.
Running in heavy pain after a metatarsal fracture I suffered at the 5th km of the 5th Marathon in Athens and repeating this heavy pain 3 weeks after in Valencia for not missing the Marathons sequence.
But also I cannot forget the heavy 2-hour snowstorm in Zurich, running with fever in Brussels and the heavy back pain in Rome and Zagori.
With positive and systematic thinking, I managed to always finish in joy and even achieving my sub-4 racing goal 😊, getting even stronger after these challenges.
- The Epic Marathons
Every start and every finish were special moments, full of heavy emotions, growing stronger as I was getting closer to my goal of 30 Marathons.
Certainly, the most epic and most thrilling moment was the last kilometer at the finish of the 30th Marathon at the Panathenaic Stadium in Athens, together with my best fellow runners and in front of all the friends and supporters of this great effort.
And of course, the epic Marathon for all during the Paris 2024 Olympics, a life-time amazing experience to run along the Paris Olympic Marathon route that the Olympic Champions run the same day.
And as you can imagine I experienced so much runner’s-high endorphins during all these 30 Marathons that I would happily repeat them 😊.
My 10 key lessons
- Racing against time
Racing against time within a Marathon keeps the mind focused and helps throughout, especially after kilometer 30, when the race starts.
However, the ultimum racing against time is to find the way to continue running and performing against the years that accumulate 😊.
- Steady pace wins the Race
Steady pace guarantees the optimum performance at the Marathon but also in training. Even if needed to go faster or slower, the pace adaptation should always be progressive by listening to our body.
- Adjusting expectations
Trying our limits in training and racing allows to identify our potential and set reachable targets and expectations. Then depending on the feeling of the day we adjust our expectations to go either somehow faster or slower.
- Fast, Easy, Long and Fun runs
Four days per week, four different runs: One fast, one easy, one long and one fun (optional).
Tuesday for interval or tempo, Thursday easy cool run, Saturday same easy pace at the long run up to 50% of the week kms and on Sunday some fun run followed by swim or brunch.
- 52 weeks
The biggest secret for optimum performance is to run every week for 52 weeks. A minimum of 30 kms/week and on average around 50 kms/week. Of course, adjusting volume and intensity before and after the races.
- Right mix of effort and rest
Resting is powerful, especially after intensive effort. Balanced cycles of effort and rest, within a run, within a week, within a month, throughout the year and especially within the race can make a big difference for both optimum performance and injury avoidance. Extra tip: at 31Km, we slow down for a couple of kms, to boost then our performance up to the finish.
- Wise eating
Healthy meals properly distributed within the day in decreasing order of quantity is the secret ally to our performance. Lighter and healthier runners perform and enjoy better the race, it is simple physics.
- Respect every kilometer
Respecting every kilometer of training and racing makes us ready both for facing surprises and difficulties and for savouring the great joy of running. There is magic behind every kilometer, we only have to discover it.
- Run with friends
Running with friends makes training a lot easier, a lot more fun and a lot more instructive. Furthermore, engaged to the runners rdvz we avoid canceling the not-so-rare run-days not in the mood 😊. Life is short and we should enjoy every kilometer of training and racing.
- Marathon is the road not the destination
Preparing for the Marathon transforms our body, our mind and our soul and drives us continuously closer to happiness. Running is the best medicine to all. Running is a bliss.
A campaign with global impact
- 30km/h speed limits as catalyser for safer mobility
City-wide 30 km/h speed limits is the since-long waited single road safety measure with such a significant improvement at such a low cost. It is more than a simple new traffic rule; it is the catalyser for a new road safety culture. I am very happy to contributing in raising awareness of both society and the Authorities towards safer city mobility for all.
- Campaign with global impact
The global impact of the campaign is impressive with over 400,000 views and 100,000 visitors per year to the campaign’s websites and social media. Dozens of interviews on TV, radio and online media and dozens of articles in newspapers and publications in scientific journals and conferences, supported by all major International Road Safety and mobility Organizations.
Watching the shift to lower speeds in cities of an ever-expanding audience in Europe and worldwide is giving us strength to persist.
- First ever review of benefits of 30km/h speed limits
We published the two first ever scientific reviews of city-wide 30 km/h speed limit benefits in Europe (Implementation results and Simulation studies). Evaluation results from 40 different cities across Europe (including Paris, London, Brussels, and Helsinki) demonstrated that 30 km/h speed limits have led to significant reductions: 37% of road crash fatalities, 18% in emissions, 2.5dB in noise pollution and 7% in fuel consumption (on average). Such a high societal impact for such a small change in our habits.
- 30km/speed limits in Greece
Let’s hope that also the Greek society and politicians will dare and embrace 30km/h speed limits in all urban areas (with exception of some axes). We stand at the most critical phase: passing from declarations to action.
Highly grateful to wide and warm support
- All the people around me
I was very fortunate to have great support throughout this very complex effort by my wife Vali and my children, being always there before, after and several times during the Marathons.
The unique friends and fellow runners of the weekends, the summer and the day-and-night running sessions, made this journey a great joy and I am so grateful.
And I was so lucky to have full scientific support by the best Coach Nikos Polias and his team, our Physiotherapist Kostas Koulidis and the Orthopaedic Surgeon John Triantafyllopoulos.
- The dream NRSO team
This campaign would not have been possible without the continuous support of all the great colleagues of the NTUA Road Safety Observatory, our Center of Road Safety Research Excellence with global recognition, who persist on scientific evidence for safer mobility everywhere.
And of course, the official support of the National Technical University of Athens and of the Hellenic Institute of Transportation Engineers was a great honour and additional responsibility for high performance in both science and my Marathons campaign.
- The key International Organisations
Honoured to be supported and happy to join forces with all the key road safety and mobility International Organisations who believe on the importance of the 30km/h speed limits as a key policy for healthy and sustainable cities: ETSC, POLIS, ECTRI, UITP, FERSI, FEHRL, ERF, IRF, ECF, WALK21.
- The Global Road Safety Community
But most importantly, the continuous and warm support of the Global Road Safety Community was giving me the strength to keep running and keep promoting our great cause of slower and safer speeds in all cities worldwide. And I am so grateful.
And the beautiful journey continues …
Bliss is the ultimum feeling of this amazing challenge, for being able at my age to run well and finish a Marathon every two – three weeks and unique satisfaction to see the global community rising-up for safer, slower and calmer driving behaviour.
In this Marathon of Marathons I learned to be always fit and ready for the next race, so, I will continue running Marathons and further devoting my life to safer mobility everywhere and for all. And the beautiful journey continues …
