Three Croatian women complete Spatathlon, 246 km race, one of the biggest ultra running races in the World! Veronika Jurišić takes fifth place!
For the past 35 years Greece has hosted this legendary race, as an hommage to Pheidippides, tracing the footsteps of the legendary messenger that brought news of Athens' victory over the Persians, only to drop dead from exhaustion.
Far away from the perils of commercial sports, ultra running is a long distance running discipline that has gained followers thanks to the ever stronger global running movement. The three women that completed Spartathlon, the pinnacle of this sport, belong to a group of unbelievable athletes that have given Croatia medals at various World and European Championships in running disciplines such as 24 h, 100 & 50 km.
Curiously enough for the Macho republic of Croatia, other than the coach involved in all these feats, Dragan Janković, the rest belong of this successful group of athletes is made up entirely of women. Veronika Jurišić, Paula Vrdoljak and Antonija Orlić conquered Sparta, and if they were joined in a team with two other athletes, Marija Vrajić and Nikolina Šustić, they would easily defeat Croatia’s best male athletes in the various long distance disciplines.
Bravo girls!
Womens results :
1. Patrycja Bereznowska Poland 24h:48:18
2. Maraz Zsuzsanna Hungary 25:43:40
3. Niwińska Aleksandra Poland 26:28:48
4. Rex Stine Denmark 26:58:16
5. Jurisic Veronika Croatia 27:19:27
7. Vrdoljak Paula Croatia 30:01:28
15. Orlić Antonija Croatia 31:52:27
Photo : Dragan Janković