Yiannis Kouros

Yiannis Kouros is a Greek former long-distance runner who made the Guiness Book of World records with his running exploits.

Kouros was born in Tripolis, in 1956, to a poor family that hailed from the nearby village of Vlachokerasia. He developed an interest in athletics at an early age and, at age 27, started his long-distance running, easily winning a 250km race, from Sparta to Athens, with a difference of three hours from the second finisher.

In the next two decades, Kouros took part in many races, ranging from 100 to 1,000 miles, setting and breaking record after record.

Eventually, Kouros settled in Australia.

He holds the following World records:

Track

200km 15:10:27 Adelaide 4/5 Oct 97
12h 162.400km Montauban 15 Mar 85
24h 303.506km Adelaide 4/5 Oct 97
48h 473.797km Surgeres 3/5 May 96
6days 1022.068km New York 2/8 Jul

Field

200km 15:57:50 Basle 2/3 May 98
1000miles 10 days, 10:30'35" New York May 1988
24h 290.221km Basle 2/3 May 98
48h 408.773km New York 21/23 May 88
6day 1028.370km New York 21/26 May 88