Imagine running 246 kilometers in less than 36 hours. Sound absolutely impossible, right?
Well, not for Filipino nurse and triathlete Rolando ‘JunJun’ Espina Jr. who recently conquered the “historic ultra-distance foot race” Spartathlon in Sparta, Greece from Sep 30 to Oct 1, 2016.
43-year-old Espina ran a total of 246.8 kilometers — the distance from Sparta to Athens — in 33 hours, 17 minutes and 33 seconds.
That’s like running the entire length of EDSA (28.6 km) more than ten times!
Espina finished 89th out of 390 runners.
Rolando Espina after Spartathlon. PHOTO: Facebook/Kenneth Lucio
According to a report by the Philippine Daily Inquirer, Espina started running six years ago to lose unwanted weight and fight hypertension.
“I always see to it that whenever I race, Philippines talaga ang nire-represent ko (I really represent the Philippines). I’m very proud to represent the Philippines,” said Espina, who is now based in Dublin, Ireland.
“I also feel pressured. But at the same time, I’m also positive. That’s the only way to succeed in this kind of sport… You need to think that you can finish it,” Espina said in an ABS-CBN News report.
Prior to the Spartathlon, Espina has finished 100 marathons — including running for 10 straight days in Ireland — and five IronMan races.
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