Was Yiannis Kouros the best ultra runner because he did everything against the grain?

Mizuno fanboy wrote:

Training: low mileage? He run 80 miles/week. There are other succesful ultra runners that train 60-80 miles/week, like the 100k Japanese guy that won the Hoka event, or Rob Krar when he won Western States twice.

He's the absolute GOAT ultrarunner, but I don't see anything unusual about his training, diet, build, etc. He's one tough SOB.

I'd be interested in seeing the training of him when he was younger and of that Japanese runner. Wouldn't be surprised if they did a period of much high mileage.

From the beginning of this documentary about him, it seems he grew up in a difficult home and spent as much time as he could out, running. Similar to Gerry Lindgren I think

Also interesting he said he started winning the long jump in middle school

Kouros is one of the great heroes of endurance to be sure.

Don’t discount his use of music. He used to listen to it a lot when he raced. That and the perfume. The man was so creative. His imagination was an incredible source of strength.

Yes. The sleep thing was like a super power in multi day events.

Did anyone ever get an actual number with regards to mileage at his peak? He says he didn’t run much, but for him that might still have been a lot.

Hopefully he will write more about his experiences. It would be a fascinating read.

He would sniff fragrances to help him stay alert. He also had a moving vehicle handing him his aid, which you can't do now.

Gretchen wrote:

His race diet during the Sidney-Melbourne race in 1989 (1011K in 5 days, 2 hours) consisted of carbohydrates like chocolate cake and biscuits, lots of fruit and fluids.

“The organizers were copying my diet as they thought the secret to be in my practice or in my diet. One of the crew, a triathlete, was to try out secretly whatever I had.”

Nevertheless Kouros still finished the next year 28 hours ahead.

So Gretchen = Maurice Taylor? 5th at the Westfield race that year with 7 days and 7 hours.

Congratulations that is quite an achievement.

The Old Man Of Natal wrote:

Did anyone ever get an actual number with regards to mileage at his peak? He says he didn’t run much, but for him that might still have been a lot.

He ran 20k a day. That's 140 k a week. A asked him personally about that and Yiannis confirmed that.

I have followed Yiannis' career closely since the very beginning--he is unlike any other runner.

He has been under reported since the start of his career. The only decent coverage of his 80's and early 90's record runs which were over a wide variety of distances, terrains, and venues, was in a then small regional, by subscription only mag called Ultrarunning. Because of this, it would be safe to say that most people are not familiar as to the full scope of what he has done.

For instance, did you know that he did a 24 hour race walk indoors? I'm pretty sure he went over a 100 miles.

Think about this--he has written a book that chronicles his 6 day world record run back 30+ years ago and he has never been able to find an English language publisher.

Full interviews and profiles have been nowhere to be seen in the U.S. I mean real, lengthy interviews.

The guy would have been perfect for a feature story in the old Outside magazine.

Also, he's a writer, poet and musician who has had his work and music published.

His command of English is only fair at best. Consequently, he at times comes across as a bit strident and odd.

He is very specific as to what he views as a true ultra race. Anything under 100 miles isn't. At least to Yiannis.

I could go on but Yiannis is in a world of his own.

Ultramarkus wrote:

The Old Man Of Natal wrote:

Did anyone ever get an actual number with regards to mileage at his peak? He says he didn’t run much, but for him that might still have been a lot.

He ran 20k a day. That's 140 k a week. A asked him personally about that and Yiannis confirmed that.

A lot of that was in doubles and intervals too I believe

Well said ...✅..!

Bump

Greekness wrote:

It's not surprising that Pheidippides was also greek, presumably built like Yiannas or a warrior. A small runner with slight stature would have a harder time running themselves until they die. A runner with lots of muscles and efficiency could go much longer.

well you know the greeks, they prefer their fellow men to be well built

Ultramarkus wrote:

The Old Man Of Natal wrote:

Did anyone ever get an actual number with regards to mileage at his peak? He says he didn’t run much, but for him that might still have been a lot.

He ran 20k a day. That's 140 k a week. A asked him personally about that and Yiannis confirmed that.

Yes, in the video he says he ran for 2 hours per day (continuously), at least in the period he is referring to.

So, he didn't require lots of sleep. I read that the first sleep cycles in the first 5 hours are where you gain the most benefit. Maybe he got what he needed in a few hours. That was his gift. Anyone who competes with him would have to have that same gift, or they are at a disadvantage from the get go.

I wonder if a person's digestive mobility is different if they have that gift of thriving on little sleep. Maybe that accounts for his success, too.

If Kouros did a stage race, he would have been a mere mid pack runner.

Correction: "digestive motility".

I think he would have won stage races as well.

Digesting food is not a problem when relative intensity is so low.

So what's the chance that he was actually clean? His record is so inordinately above and beyond any other performance at that distance. It seems ridiculously unlikely that his physiology is so far superior to every other athlete to have tested themselves at the 24 hour run that the distance between his record and #2 on the list would be so wide.

You can list all his abilities but his marathon speed is most important otherwise he wouldn't be fast enough for anyone to care whether someone can jog all day and night. Even in jogging land speed matters.