At 88 years old, the Greek runner Ploutarchos Pourliakas has demonstrated once again that age can only be a number and is not an obstacle to determination, after completing the 41st edition of the Athens Marathon.
The race, also called “The Authentic,” is staged annually on what is believed to be the same ground that the Athenian messenger Philippides traveled to bring news of victory from the battlefield of Marathon 2,500 years ago. Recognized as the original marathon route, the same route was used for the 2004 Olympics held in Athens.
“I finished the race and I even improved compared to last year,” Pourliakas said moments after crossing the finish line in Athens’ historic Panathenaic Stadium, as his family and grandchildren cheered and congratulated him. This year he completed the race in six hours and 31 minutes, 18 minutes faster than last year.
“I feel younger than my 88 years,” he said, reflecting on his achievement. It is the twelfth time he has completed the race of 42.195 km (26.22 miles) from the Tomb of Marathon to the Panathenaic Stadium. Inspired by his son, an ultramarathon runner, he started running in his hometown of Kastoria in northern Greece at the age of 73. Many find it hard to believe his age when they see him run, Pourliakas says, but he addresses their disbelief directly. “Why shouldn’t you believe it? We can all do it. As long as we want it.”
In his training routine, the 88-year-old runs four to five kilometers a day and up to 20 km on weekends. “I have never smoked. I don’t indulge in excesses, I don’t drink, I don’t stay up late,” he added. “I eat in a balanced way, everything but in moderation. However, every day I drink a little ‘tsipouro’ (a local drink) not as a drink, but as medicine.”