RacingThePlanet Greece 250K Ultramarathon Stage Race 2025: A Personal Journey into my 60th Year

While it has been less than three weeks since finishing my seventh multi-day 250K stage race with RacingThePlanet in Greece, in some ways it seems like an eternity ago.  Memories that remain will fill a life time.  Overcoming challenges day after day, sometimes in the harshest of weather, sharing miles on the trails with so many amazing human beings, and seeing a country in a way that few get to experience it by foot. I cannot think of  a better way to have celebrated my 60th Birthday.  It was an honor to join a collective group of humans who give their all to go on an odyssey that transcends 250 kilometers, climbing over 7,000 meters to find new heights in the journey.

The journey always begins with what feels like an enormous family reunion checking into the race hotel the evening before race briefing/check-in. Seeing competitors from past races who have become like family. Catching up on life, events, and all that has happened in the intervening time. While it seems like time stands still between races, all the intervening time only adds to the wonder that encompasses the reconnecting. While many things remain the same, others change significantly. Some competitors faced medical challenges of a lifetime that left them with a new perspective. This would also be the first race without Zach. Zach had become like family over the years. We shared mile after mile, desert after desert, struggling through each of the 4 Deserts together. His passing in July from a Glioblastoma Multiforme left an emptiness that was felt throughout the race. Jodi would carry Zach through her race experience with his bib pinned beneath hers, a silent remembrance that honored his legacy. Quite symbolic of her own challenges this past year.

Race check-in is the typical whirlwind of briefings, gear check and ensuring all the paperwork is in order.....then collecting race bibs, trackers, and all the ancillary last minute preparation for the days ahead. Greece was the first RacingThePlanet race to add the UltraLite category that allows competitors to race either 10K or 20K per day (their choice) and have the race be supported (gear not needed while racing is transported from camp to camp). My husband Bob raced the UltraLite category, having just completed rehab from a hip replacement in June. Great job RTP adding such a vital piece of the race, and added so perfectly that it allowed those competitors to feel like they had their own "tribe" and something special to them!

Our journey to camp 1 was a 4-5 hour bus ride. As with past races, this offered ample opportunity to get to know those you would be spending the next week with sharing camp and trails. The views along the way offered a glimpse into the scenery that the next week would hold. I sat next to my tent-mate Linda, whom I had the chance to get to know after spending time together in Athens and in a our journey to the host town Marathon. While passing miles of mountains and towns, I could only imagine myself traversing this beautiful landscape. Such a wonderful anticipation of a week to come! At the end of our bus journey, we were greeted ceremoniously with local music as we walked into camp 1. The all too familiar tents arranged into a communal circle, something that has become familiar over the years of racing RTP races. Set up next to a beautiful coast line offered stunning views of not only the mountains to the west, but a sunset that lent itself a canvas of colors as the sun dipped below the horizon. I was fortunate to have what I thought was the lottery of tents with amazing tent-mates. Heather and Lisa from RTP Namibia, Martha from RTP Jordan (and who paced me through 37 gruelling miles at Bigfoot 200!), Linda who was racing her first RTP race (whom we would all learn later was super-fast and was a podium contender turned AG winner in spite of facing illness during the race). We also had the youngest competitor who has ever attempted a 250K self-supported stage race. Brook at the tender age of 13 would race with her Dad Michael (a 4 Deserts Grand Slam Alum and RTP veteran racer). Wow is the least I could say as I truly admired her determination, commitment, and grit to take on this enormous challenge at such a young age!

Beginning in Kardamyli, we were greeted with traditional music, fanfare, and dancing and the beautiful beach sunset as we retired for our first evening. The camp was still alive with reunions of friends from past races, reminiscing of races past and catching up over months and years of intervening time. Our first night was met with the threat of storms. Told to await possible evacuation with 5 minutes notice started the race with the excitement that would continue for the next seven days. Evening fireworks set off, which I took as a sign that my Birthday was here!

The most special part of the evening was reuniting with close friend Anne from Melbourne, who was volunteering at the race and who had spent the prior night at camp 1. Anne and I had become close friends after racing RTP Gobi in 2023. We had not seen each other since her visit to Seattle in 2024. So this was a special treat! 

The first race morning was met with mist in the air and the remainder of rain coating our camp. The ceremonial 7:00 wake-up call and 7:30 briefing brought us all back into race mode. Something that would again become commonplace and familiar each day! Let Day 1 begin, from sea to summit, a day that would be filled with climbing. Running the streets of Kardamyli after exiting the start line, provided the energy to tackle what would be a massive day of climbing to reach our next camp at the summit on the Royal Road of the Spartans. It also brought the first of challenges for me.....facing my fears that still lingered following an accident at Bigfoot 200 a month earlier. Large rocks and boulders had become my enemy and left me filled with uncertainty. Navigating some highly technical sections (that left at least one competitor with stitches on his head and a DNF) allowed me to experience the fear and move through it. This theme would continue in days to follow. The rain came and left several times through the day, but never stopped the forward upward motion towards the summit at camp 2. There was endless climbs that took us high into the mountains, reaching the summit at camp 2. Passing random houses, small villages, cars (who likely looked with perplexed stares), we were able to experience what would be the first of many days of becoming immersed into the little known aspects of remote Greek culture.

Camp 2 perched at altitude gave way to cool weather, unlike this photo, mattresses and metal frames were removed from our hut leaving us to the cold bare floor with our sleeping bags/pads. Retreating to the huts offered shelter from continued pitter patter of rain that was only surpassed by a symphony of snoring that echoes from the walls. 18 beaten souls sheltered in a single hut taken, to a new level of tired, and retreating to some creature comforts of shelter awaiting the next challenges on day two. Awakening to a misty cold morning was a reminder of what we had signed up for so long ago. Stage 2 started with a fury down the mountain. Competitors racing to take advantage of the smooth hard surface that spiraled ever downward in cooler air. Mist swirled around us and canopied the tree tops with breathtaking views. Through the mist and cloud filled landscape, we descended from the cool shelter of camp 2.

As the cool air gave way to warmer air, the skies cleared leaving us with a glimmer of the day ahead following in the steps of the Spartans. Crossing the Taygetos Range never failed to provide spectacular views that quickly melted any pain and suffering. Giving way to steep switchback single track trails and then village roads, and following winds trails along riverbeds continuously changes the views as the day progressed. Ending on roads leading to camp 3 that felt relentless, reaching camp was perhaps the most rewarding part of the day! Greeted with fresh watermelon served as a refreshing treat at the end of the day!

Day two was the beginning of many miles shared with some amazing human beings. Sharing stories, sharing life, and making the miles tick by and reaching camp before you realize that you are done for the day. To Chris from Colorado, thank you for sharing some of the most memorable highs (and lows) of the race on the trails day after day. While we are all on a journey of our own, we carry each other spiritually and make the journey full of memories that will last a lifetime. 

The weather at camp 3 was a pleasant warmth that had emerged from the rain filled past two days. This was a much needed respite that allowed for recovery from the first two days of the journey. Stage 3 was another day of climbing (which I ironically prefer) through the heart of Greece. Crossing the lower Parnon Range along the E4 trail that gave us beautiful trails and dust roads to run on and passed through idyllic villages that made you want to linger to take in the culture. Buildings that transcended centuries and undoubtedly had stories to tell.

Camp 4 at the end of the third stage was perfectly situated next to the Agios Pademeimonas Church. A prayer of hope that we would all successfully navigate the remainder of the journey in the days that remained. Competitors looked weary and tired, beaten down by the miles under their feet in the days now behind us. The signs of exhaustion were settling in and making themselves at home in our tents. After a quick meal, most retreated to the now all too familiar tent nests, performing our daily rituals of preparation for the day ahead before closing our eyes for the night. The all too familiar echoes of snoring from Tent 7 continued to provide a musical backdrop to our night. UltraLite competitors were secretly treated to a night in the village with good food and company. Pizzas secretly made their way behind tents to fill the stomachs of volunteers who tirelessly gave their all day after day. 

Stage 4 started with a fury up a winding climbing trail. Certain signs of exhaustion were ever present. Competitors who left essential items like water bottles behind and others who struggled to get in position with their normal place in the pack due to early onset of fatigue and illness. Stage 4 served to be an unrelenting day filled with challenges. More winding down hill sections, more rocky sections that would again rear my fear of rocks, and what seemed to be endless railroad tracks. By the end it was hard to not feel beaten down and had the wind taken out of your sail for the following days long march. But it was hallmarked with many shared miles with countless competitors, each sharing a glimpse into their lives and what spawned their interest in taking on such an odyssey.

Then emerging from olive trees, watching storms rise and fall and leaving us wondering what the evening ahead had in store, we saw our first glimpse of the coast, the town and our camp for the night. Camp 5 was perched on the opposite coast from where were started our journey many days before. Rain eventually found its way to camp, just as competitors found their way to the coastal town where we stayed the night. A refreshing Coca-Cola and a bag of ice was just what I needed to bring soothing relief to the toll of a long unrelenting day. The night was quiet as the rain settled in, tarps were drawn over tens, and competitors retreated in preparation for the long march day ahead.

Then well beyond the rail road tracks and passing by groves of olive and fruit trees (giving us topics of conversation), we watched storms rise and fall, leaving us wondering what the evening ahead had in store. We then saw our first glimpse of the coast, the town of Kiveri and our camp for the night. Camp 5 was perched on the opposite coast from where were started our journey many days before. Rain eventually found its way to camp, just as competitors found their way to the coastal town where we stayed the night. A refreshing Coca-Cola and a bag of ice was just what I needed to bring soothing relief to the toll of a long unrelenting day. The night was quiet as the rain settled in, tarps were drawn over tens, and competitors retreated in preparation for the long march day ahead.

The long march, the long awaited day that would extend well into the evening hours for me (and into the next day for the back of the pack competitors). Stage 5 was the long anxiously awaited day that was filled with so much uncertainty. The day launched with a boat ride from Kiveri Beach to our starting point. Again the rain storms reared their ugly head, this time with more of a vengeance. The boat ride from Kiveri gave us all a chance to ponder the day ahead, to gather a few relished items like chips/crisps and a Coca-Cola to either take on the road or savor in the moment. As the boat moored, we were greeted by locals as we all made our way to the start line for the day. The rain continued to build as we ventured out for our 76.5 kilometer journey. While we had yet to see a river crossing on the course to date, the rivers emerged from flooding providing ample opportunity to practice our river crossing skills. Climbing over rocky headlands and then traveling miles and miles on nice roads through towns gave opportunity to engage in deep conversion with more competitors. This is truly the heart of racing for me, meeting people from around the world and finding that we all share common thoughts, beliefs, values, needs, and desires. The rain gave way to more sun and eventually the flat turned to climb. Up a long mountain climb, we were greeted with endless views, including a monastery embedded in a mountain side.

With all that goes up, it must come down. Winding down the mountain on rough dust track roads gave glimpses of villages below and wind turbines whirling above. Winding through villages, past caves and temples, the landscape of the day never ceased to change. Passing through village after village, opportunity was abundant to find shelter, find food and experience the local culture. Locals must have been amused with weary looking competitors beaten down from days on their feet making their way through their towns and villages.

As evening fell, we continued winding through villages and towns making our way to Ermioni. Dogs could be heard barking in every direction, standing their territory and looking with curiosity at the weary racers shuffling by one foot after another. With 7 total checkpoints, the suffering could be extended further than days prior with a longer distance to cover by foot. But as dusk carried us into the night, it brought a renewed sense of movement to my legs. After a quick dinner at the overnight checkpoint and some caffeinated Tailwind in my bottles, I seemed to gather strength and energy as the miles ticked by. Passing one competitor after another, my legs seemed to be gaining energy as the night progressed. By the time I reached the outskirts of the town of Ermioni, I was briskly trotting. And as I passed restaurants and bars closing for the night, the patrons greeted with exuberance, cheering me on in the final miles of the course (even joining beside me running at one point).

The long march for most of the RTP races symbolizes the end of a journey and an opportunity to rest before tackling the last few kilometers of the race course to cross the finish line. Unlike past races where we remain a captive audience in camp, we were granted the good fortune to explore town. This was an unfamiliar luxury, something not afforded at past races and something to likely not be repeated again any time soon. We feasted on good food, ice cream, shopped at local stores and spent time enjoying each others company is something other than a camp-side environment. Good food and relaxation has an amazing restorative power. Leaving us all ready to tackle the short 5 kilometer-ish distance of the final day. Stage 6 almost seemed anticlimactic covering a short distance through and around the town of Ermioni, ending close to where the stage began. Along the way, we circled a monument and church with spectacular views of the coastline. Winding our way back through town, we ventured up and down side streets and back through headlands to the finish line. Greeted with traditional Greek food as well as refreshing drinks, the end of our journey had come. Medals dangled from every competitor as we celebrated the journey, the ups and downs, the amazing experience, and each other. With over 7,000 meters of climbing and descending whilst wearing a self-supported pack is not a feat for the weary. The path from Kardamyli to Ermioni spanned 250 kilometers of beautiful rugged terrain, lined with epic villages, stunning scenery, and memories of a life time. New friendships were forged and past ones renewed over the days spent supporting each other through this journey. As the saying goes, this is "more than a race", and Greece held up to that promise. Instead of farewell, I will say "until next time". It is always an honor to share the trails with all the amazing racers who sign up for these events. At the end we walk away as better than we were before, with a renewed sense of human kindness, filled with gratitude, and confident that we can tackle whatever life tosses in our path. For that I am eternally grateful! If you want to reach new PRs in running, sign up for a marathon, if you seek new PRs in life sign up for a RacingThePlanet Ultramarathon. Your life will be forever changed and taken to new heights!

Photo credit to the amazing Thiago Diz (@thiagodiz) for capturing the essence of what we experienced. It is not easy to capture a story in photographs, but Thiago has a special talent for creating a memory book that will live on for years to come. If you plan to sign up for a race, the photo package is an absolute must!

About Kristina

Kristina is a UESCA Certified Ultra Running coach and UESCA Certified Running coach as well as RRCA Level I Certified Running coach.

Email: [email protected]

Website: https://nextpeakendurancecoaching.com/