German runner Florian Reus wins 33rd Spartathlon Ultra- Marathon

German ultra-marathon runner Florian Reus on Saturday won the 33rd Spartathlon race, one of the toughest as well as the most historical ultra-distance running races in the world.

Arriving at the statue of Leonidas among nearly 400 runners, Reus fnished the 246 km race in 23 hours, 17 minutes and 31 seconds. Reus finished second in 2013 and 2014.

Less than 40 minutes later, British ultra-marathon runner Dan Lawson finished second in 23:53:32. Danish runner Kim Hansen came third in 25:54:37.

Among female runners, 36-year-old Katalin Nagy from America finished first in 25:07:12. Nagy finished second in 2014.

Alyson Venti, also from the United States, arrived second at the statue of Leonidas in 26:50:51 among about 50 female runners. Hungarian ultra-marathon runner Szilvia Lubrics, three times female champion for this race, came third in 29:18:44.

The 33rd Spartathlon from Athens to Sparta kicked off in front of the Acropolis hill in the Greek capital of Athens Friday morning. This year 385 runners from more than 40 countries and regions are competing, following the footsteps of ancient Greek soldier Pheidippides in the 246 km distance race to the southern Peloponnese peninsula city of Sparta. Greece has 65 runners this year, followed by Japan with 61 runners. Among the runners are 54 women.

Bob Hearn, first time Spartathlon runner from the United States, finished the race in 29:35:12 and came 28th among all the runners. Hearn told Xinhua before the race started that running is a way of dialogue between himself and the world. As a software engineer, the natural beauty and rich history along the route of Spartathlon brought him from America to test the longest ever running distance for him.

In 490 BC, ahead of the battle of Marathon against the Persian forces, according to historians, the Athenian soldier who inspired the Classic Marathon was sent to Sparta to request support, making the journey on foot non stop within two days.

Since 1983 each September people of various ages and professions from across the globe who test the limits of human willpower revive his feat.

The target on their mind is to reach the statue of ancient Spartan King Leonidas in the center of Sparta.

Only about a third of participants complete Spartathlon in the past 32 years, organizers note. The tough ground conditions through steep hillsides and the strict time limits make it one of the greatest challenges for runners.

The award of those who make it and touch the feet of Leonidas' statue is an olive wreath and a sip of water from the nearby Evrotas river.

Greek veteran runner Yannis Kouros, who won the first Spartathlon, still holds the record time at 20:25:00. Endi