Satu Lipiäinen, an endurance runner from Lappeenranta, participated for the first time in Spartathlon, i.e. a running distance from Athens to Spárt. He finished third.
In Lappeenranta A fairy tale in Lipiäinen, 27, has behind him the ultra distance Spartathlon that he ran two weeks ago. Completing it was Lipiäinen’s childhood dream.
– Sometime when I was 10 years old, I watched the Spartathlon and realized that someone like that needs to run sometime, said Lipiäinen in an interview with last May.
Now the 246-kilometer task is behind us, and the trip took less than a day. Lipiainen finished third.
– The ranking surprised me. I thought I would finish somewhere in the middle of the group. The ranking of the women’s series exceeded expectations, and then the men’s series also surprised. There were not many ahead, says Lipiäinen.
Lipiäinen’s time was 23 hours 48 minutes 34 seconds. Including the men, Lipiäinen was eighth on the way. 379 runners participated in the run.
A 246-kilometer ultra-running distance
The race is run in Greece from Athens to Sparta
According to the story, the emissary Pheidippides ran to Sparta for help when the Persians attacked Athens around 490 BC. He was there the next day
Royal Air Force officers attempted the trip in 1982
The first race was run in 1983
The race must be run in 36 hours
This year there were almost 380 competitors
Never again
Lipiäinen has been running long or so-called ultra distances for several years now. Last May, he ran a 12-hour world record of 153.6 kilometers. However, the Spartathlon was an even longer journey.
– After the race, there was a rather empty feeling that this was it. I had waited so long for this, and I had waited for all the trouble. Now I’m starting to appreciate it. It would be nice to go again, even though after the race I said no more, laughs Lipiäinen.
For many, a 246-kilometer running distance sounds terrible. How can a person do this? Even Lipiäinen can’t answer that.
– I’ve wondered about it myself. What a person is capable of is unfathomable. Of course, a person adapts to what he practices. However, I have been running since I was 7 years old, so maybe I have developed the skills to run such a distance.
Dreaming of a double Spartathlon?
Satu Lipiäinen enjoys running. He has a day job at Lappeenranta LUT University as a research doctor. According to him, combining research work and running has gone well. However, next season’s calendar is busy.
– I would like to run everything from the 3,000-meter hurdles to the double Spartathlon.
Double Spartathlon is a distance run from Athens to Spárt and back.
– But first I want to improve my times with these shorter ultra distances, says Lipiäinen.
You can discuss the topic until 23.10.2023.