Tamás Bódis signs a record-breaking performance at the Spartathlon, winning the 246 km between Athens and Sparta on Sunday 27 September. He takes the win in 19 h 40 min 51 s, improving on the course record by 14 minutes 18 seconds. The previous time belonged to Fotis Zisimopoulos, who finished second in 20 h 32 min 41 s.
Among the women, Despoina Simantrákou wins the Spartathlon edition in 24 h 45 min 43 s. The source also specifies that Bódis set this record in cool, damp conditions, on a road that runs through Mount Parthenio. The same weather and geographical context is therefore linked to the record-breaking men’s performance.
Shannon-Leigh Litt completes an impressive milestone of ultra-consistency : 1,000 consecutive outdoor runs of at least 50 km. The New Zealand athlete reaches this milestone in Whangārei on Saturday 26 September, with a start on 1 January 2024 and a routine of 51 km per day, allowing for a buffer related to GPS discrepancies. The source also mentions using two watches and witnesses.
Regarding the validation follow-up, the source indicates that Guinness accepted evidence for around 800 days and issued a certificate confirming the passage of the previous 200-day record. However, verification of the complete 1,000-day application was still pending at the time of the update. The central factual point here therefore concerns the step that was validated and what still needed to be confirmed.
Finally, the update announces rounds of the 2027 British trail championship via the Trail Running Association. The Forest of Dean Spring Half Marathon hosts the short-round race on 21 March, the Scafell Sky Ultra is held on 5 June for the intermediate distance, and the South Downs Way 100 receives the ultra championship on 12 and 13 June. The distance and elevation characteristics are also specified for these three events.
