Radek Brunner of the Czech Republic and Andrea Morocza of Hungary were crowned champions of the 43rd Spartathlon, the legendary 245-kilometer ultramarathon from Athens to Sparta, held over the weekend.

Brunner, competing in his 10th Spartathlon, braved rainy conditions to cross the finish line and reach the statue of King Leonidas in Sparta in 22 hours, 55 minutes, and 13 seconds. The veteran ultrarunner was honored by Sparta Mayor Michalis Vakalopoulos, and the President of the International Spartathlon Association, Vangelis Polymeris.

“I’m happy to be returning to Sparta,” Brunner said after his victory. “Whatever I say about the people who were with me from start to end, will not be enough. I’m very happy I fought until the end. Every athlete running the Spartathlon is trying to find their limits.”

Italian runner Francesco Perini finished second overall with a time of 23:05:27, while Japan’s Yoshihiko Ishikawa secured third in 23:54:23.

In the women’s category, Andrea Morocza clocked 25:09:06 to secure first place. She was followed by Greece’s Despoina Simantrakou, who not only took second in 25:37:44 but was also the first Greek woman to finish, placing her 10th overall. Third place went to Slovenia’s Natasha Rodnik who completed the race in 26:09:28.

Among Greek athletes, Giorgios Dimoulas was the fastest male finisher, completing the race in 24:22:53 to place 5th overall.

This year’s Spartathlon drew 400 runners from 56 countries. The race, which begins at dawn beneath the Acropolis, challenges participants to cover 152 miles in 36 hours, culminating in the symbolic act of touching the statue of King Leonidas in Sparta.