Race Coverage

Race Coverage

RACE Coverage

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About the Field – The Stats, The Facts, Inspiring Stories and Top Contenders

 

We are thrilled to host the 15th edition of the RacingThePlanet Ultramarathon in Greece! Previous editions have taken place in Vietnam, Namibia, Australia, Nepal, Jordan, Iceland, Madagascar, Ecuador, Sri Lanka, Patagonia, New Zealand, Georgia and Lapland.

RacingThePlanet: Greece marks the 79th RacingThePlanet / 4 Deserts Ultramarathon since its inception in 2003, and the inaugural addition of RacingThePlanet UltraLite.

A Global Field of Competitors

This year's race features an inspiring and diverse group of athletes from all corners of the world. There are 157 competitors competing the 250 km course and a further 24 who join RacingThePlanet UltraLite.

Let’s Start with the Numbers

  • 40 countries represented
    • And a further 7 countries are represented by our staff
    • The United States has the highest number of competitors
    • The United Kingdom, Australia and Japan are also well represented
    • Other represented nations include Argentina, Greece, Uzbekistan and Zambia, among others
  • Male / Female Ratio
    • 67% male / 33% female
  • Age Spectrum 
    • Youngest competitor: there are two competitors who are not even 20 years old. They are racing with their parents.
      • Brooklyn Williams
      • Cole Smith
      • Andrew Campbell
    • Oldest competitor: 75-year-old Shinichi Tada (Japan)
      • Two others are also in their 70s: Ivan Schmidt (Denmark) and Akiyoshi Hirata (Japan)
  • Experience Levels
    • 76% of participants have been at a RacingThePlanet / 4 Deserts Ultramarathon at least once before
    • 24% are joining their first race

Notable Participants & Achievements

  • 30 members of the prestigious 4 Deserts Club
    • 3 of these people completed the 4 Deserts Grand Slam
    • 5 of these people completed the 4 Deserts Grand Slam Plus  
  • Additional 4 Deserts Club members among the staff and volunteers:
    • Carlos Garcia (Spain) - Course Director
    • Tony Brammer (United Kingdom) - Volunteer Manager
    • Colin Suckling (Australia)
    • Amanda de Kock (South Africa)
    • Rebecca Walker (United States)

Champions & Record Holders

  • Former RacingThePlanet / 4 Deserts Ultramarathon Champions
    • Victoria Connelly (United Kingdom) – 4 Deserts Champion 2024
    • Tommy Chen (Taiwan) – 4 Deserts Champion 2016
    • Dean Karnazes (Greece / United States) – 4 Deserts Champion 2008
    • Reinhold Hugo (Switzerland)
    • Stefan Zuber (Switzerland)
    • Kyle McCoy (United States)
    • Sandy Suckling (Australia)
  • RacingThePlanet / 4 Deserts Ultramarathon Record Holders
    • Ash Mokhtari (Iran / Canada) has completed an astounding 25 RacingThePlanet / 4 Deserts Ultramarathons. This is more than anyone else in the world
    • Karen Wei (Canada / Hong Kong) has completed 15 RacingThePlanet / 4 Deserts Ultramarathons. This is the greatest number of races completed by a woman

Exciting Team Competition

  • Official Teams
    • The Schnitzels (Austria / Romania)
    • Siberian Spartans (United Kingdom)
  • Group Teams
    • GR8M8S (Australia)
    • Tameside Tigers (United Kingdom)
    • Desi Munde (United States / India)
    • Summit Spartans (United States / Switzerland)
    • The Aussie Battlers (Australia)

We are also happy to see the Unofficial Team Breaking 250 back as seven of them will race the various categories having been trained and prepared together by Hannah Walsh whose goal is empower women to step out of the ordinary and prove what they are capable of.

  • Rule Changes in 2024
    • Official teams can now consist of two or more members
    • Group Teams (3-5 members) can compete individually, with their average time determining rankings

Qualifying for Antarctica’s Ultimate Race

  • 31 competitors will become qualified for The Last Desert in Antarctica upon successful completion of RacingThePlanet: Greece
  • The Last Desert is Antarctica’s only multi-stage race. The next edition (the 11th) will take place in November 2026

Top Contenders

While it’s possible to walk the entire course and still complete the race, the front-runners are incredibly fast.

  • A 40 km / 25-mile Stage will be completed in under 4 hours, with the top racers maintaining a speed of 10-12 km (6-7.5 miles) per hour 
  • The fastest competitors will likely finish the race in under 25 hours, while the rest will take 70+ hours

Projected Podium & Top 10 Finishers

MEN

WOMEN

 

    • Hiroyuki Matsuda
    • Stefan Zuber
    • Tommy Chen
    • Reinhold Hugo
    • Bob Muijs
    • Kyle McCoy
    • Paul Redbourn
    • Ronan Minivielle

 
    • Victoria Connelly
    • Chizuru Inoue
    • Joelle Kabbaj
    • Julie Johnstone
    • Laura Oliviero
    • Hannah Walsh

 

 

Stories of Inspiration

Beyond the elite athletes, many competitors bring incredible personal stories to the race.

  • Fifteen former volunteers are competing
  • Jodi Harskamp from Alaska has not only donated a kidney, but has also overcome brain surgery this year to take on her third RacingThePlanet / 4 Deserts Ultramarathon
  • Bea Garcia from Spain joins her 11th race despite having Type 1 diabetes which she manages by carry extra equipment and food, often having the heaviest backpack
  • Alisher Abdukadirov is the only person from Uzbekistan to join a RacingThePlanet Ultramarathon. Greece is his second time at a race
  • Kristin Higgins joins the UltraLite having filmed the documentary Her Ultra at RacingThePlanet: Lapland. The film is now streaming on Amazon and is well worth a watch to find out more about Team Breaking 250

Birthdays

Many are celebrating their birthdays during the race, including:

  • Jorge Rocca from Argentina turns 60 during the race
  • Jodi Harskamp turns 50 on Stage 4
  • Brandi Campbell turns 50 on the final Stage and will have a joint celebration with Ine Mertens
  • Kristina Huffman reaches a new age group as her birthday is on Stage 1 of the race
  • Alasdair Morrison
  • Simran Singh and Sandeep Singla have become friends while completing the 4 Deserts Grand Slam Plus in 2024. They both celebrate their birthdays on the same day, which is the day before the race starts
  • Laura Oliviero from Italy is doing the race to celebrate her 50th birthday

Family Teams

Making it a truly family affair are:

  • Mother and son Erna Wilmink and Bob Muijs, whose partners are both on the volunteer team
  • Ben Perkins joins his father Andrew Perkins. Yumi, Ben's mother / Andrew's wife, is on the volunteer team
  • Cole Smith with his father Cade Smith. Katy their Cole's mother / Cade's wife is racing in the UltraLite category
  • Alasdair Morrison is joined by his two sons, Calum and Hamish, in the UltraLite
  • Anouar Kabbaj and his mother Joelle
  • Brook Williams with her father Michael
  • Ally Lor races alongside her mother, Karen Wei, a 4 Deserts Club member
  • Andrew Campbell and his mother Brandi Campbell
  • Couples joining the race include:
    • Mark and Rachel Harrod race as a couple after Rachel’s surprise Christmas present of a race entry
    • Jana and Kenneth Stephenson join their second race as a couple
    • Brennan and Stefanie Ryan also join their second race as a couple
    • Julie Bang and SeongGon Choi
    • David Jacko and his wife Carla who is doing the UltraLite
    • Kristina Huffman and her husband Bob who is doing the UltraLite
  • Sibling duos competing
    • Evgeniy and Dmitriy Dobrov are brothers who are racing together as a team
    • Sisters-in-law Heather Flaherty and Lisa Brown will race together for the second time

Racing for a Cause

Many competitors are also racing for charity, some of which include:

  • Breaking Barriers
  • Children's Surgical Centre, Cambodia
  • NAMI
  • Heroic Hearts Project
  • RUN Hong Kong
  • Sydney Children’s Hospital
  • JTS

Follow the Action Live

Our talented media team from Brazil, Thiago Diz and Andre Gemmer, will keep the website updated with photos and videos.

The race begins 28 September 2025—follow live updates, results, and more on the RacingThePlanet: Greece Live Page!