40th Spartathlon ultramarathon race held at foot of Athens Acropolis

STORY: 40th Spartathlon ultramarathon race held at foot of Athens Acropolis DATELINE: Oct. 1, 2022 LENGTH: 0:01:05 LOCATION: Athens CATEGORY: SPORTS SHOTLIST: 1. various of Spartathlon ultramarathon race 2. SOUNDBITE 1 (English): NIEDZIELSKI ROBERT, Runner 3. SOUNDBITE 2 (English): HILDE DOSOGNE, Runner 4. various of Spartathlon ultramarathon race STORYLINE: The 40th Spartathlon ultramarathon race started on Friday at the foot of the Athens Acropolis, with 353 runners from 48 countries and regions participating in the 245-km course from Athens to Sparta in southern Greece. Following the footsteps of the ancient Greek soldier Pheidippides, they aim to cross the finish line on Saturday. About one-third of participants achieve this, according to the international "SPARTATHLON" association, which organizes the event under the auspices of the Greek Ministries of Tourism and National Defense. According to ancient Greek historians, in 490 BC, ahead of the battle of Marathon against the Persian forces, Pheidipp