Author Bryan Wilkins

The 2025 British Spartathlon Team featured a mix of experienced and first time runners, with 17 male and 3 female athletes amongst the 354 athletes assembled at the Acropolis on race morning. 

At the front of the pack, Bryan Wilkins took an early lead through the first marathon, followed hot on his heels by Tim Benger, making his Spartathlon debut. The two British athletes swapped the lead multiple times for the coming hours until Bryan was finally able to put to bed the stomach issues plaguing his early progress and move ahead where he would stay, (despite a 5km navigational mishap at Tegea) to reach Sparta in 25hrs26 mins – the fifth fastest time recorded by a British athlete in the history of the race, and retain the historic Michael Graham Callaghan trophy for another year.

Tim fought on bravely until 195km where a swollen knee and twisted ankle left him no choice but to call it a day. A tremendous debut and surely great things are in his future. 

In the women’s race, Michelle White led from the front, running a stunning race on debut to hit Sparta in 31hrs34. This placed her 5th overall finisher in the team and she can look forward to becoming the proud custodian of the coveted Lizzie Hawker Trophy as first British female. 

Meanwhile, following a well paced first half of the race, Dom Jones, also making his Spartathlon debut, was gaining ground on the leaders superbly, working his way through the wider field. Dom maintained this momentum to finish in an incredible 26hrs15, recording one of the strongest British debuts ever.

Making up the top 3 male finishers, Andy Day put in yet another strong year, despite severe issues with cramp, to reach Sparta in 29hrs09 and record his fourth finish at the event. 

Moving back to the women’s race,

Alex Marshall produced a master class in pacing to record a finish of 33hrs52 on debut. A prolific racer, this was another gritty performance to underline a strong 2025 for her.

Sadly, Anna Brown was forced to retire after experiencing acute knee pain and conditions on the mountain made treacherous by hours of unseasonal downfall. Anna can feel proud of a superb year of running; winning outright in both the inaugural Camino London 100 and Kennet & Avon Canal race.

The biggest milestone of the day is reserved for Ian Thomas who recorded his 10th Sparthalon finish in a time of 34hrs24 (11th if the unofficial 2020 “Spartathloff” is counted!). This guarantees Ian lifetime auto entry and is an incredible feat of longevity, particularly as he didn’t debut until 2015! Ian is considered among the true legends of this historic race and we are humble to call him one of our own!