Uy completes 246-km Spartathlon race

MANILA, Philippines — With just 29 minutes and 57 seconds to spare, Filipina ultra-runner Jennifer Aimee Uy reached the statue of King Leonidas in Sparta, successfully completing one of the world’s most grueling footraces.

Uy crossed the finish line of the historic Spartathlon in 35 hours, 31 minutes, and 3 seconds – barely inside the event’s unforgiving 36-hour cutoff.

Covering 246 kilometers across Greece, the Spartathlon retraces the ancient 490 BC journey of Pheidippides, the Athenian messenger sent to Sparta to seek help before the Battle of Marathon.

The race began at the foot of the Acropolis in Athens and pushed athletes across rough tracks, muddy trails, searing daytime heat, and freezing nighttime rain.

Out of 381 elite starters representing 48 countries, Uy finished 249th among the 276 runners who managed to complete the course, marking another major milestone for Philippine endurance sports.

For Uy, the physical distance was only half the struggle; the ultimate test was surviving the strict time constraints imposed throughout the course.