Running With Pheidippides: Stylianos Kyriakides, the Miracle Marathoner

Sports and Entertainment

by Nick Tsiotos, Andy Dabilis

It is 1946. World War II is over. As the rest of Europe struggles to rebuild itself, Greece—which had bitterly resisted Nazi occupation—is ripped apart by civil war. Thousands are dead or dying of starvation. In the face of such epic disaster, one Greek athlete takes valiant action. This is the true story of Stylianos Kyriakides, champion Greek runner who against all odds entered the 1946 Boston, Marathon, a race he had lost eight years before. Now Kyriakides ran not just to win, but to wake the world to the plight of his people. Although ravaged by hunger, Kyriakides pushed his wracked body to the limits. Boston doctors urged him to quit. "You will die in the streets," they warned. Fueled by dauntless devotion to his countrymen and bolstered by the love of his wife, the runner persevered and triumphed. But winning the marathon was only the first step. With characteristic grit, Kyriakides remained in the United States long enough to raise money, equipment, and medical supplies for his country. A grateful Greece proclaimed him a hero. Nearly one million welcomed him home. Drawing on interviews and unprecedented access to family photos and papers, the authors vividly chronicle the real-life drama of Kyriakides: a runner who raced not for gold or glory, but for the betterment of his people and the survival of his homeland. From the shadowy Berlin Olympics to the dark days of Nazi Greece and its aftermath, Running with Pheidippides speaks vividly of war and deprivation, of athletic competition and camaraderie, of genuine valor in a world bereft of heroes. "For those of us who were young and Greek-American," recalls former Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis, "his victory in the 1946 Boston Marathon and the response of so many Americans to his pleas for help for his people was one of the most searing experiences of our young lives."

283 pages, Hardcover

First published April 13, 2001

Reviews

[Vicki · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great story of a real hero, a Greek named Stylianos Kyriakides who won the Boston Marathon with the intent to draw media attention to those starving in Greece at the end of WWII. The world responded with donations, and he saved lives.

The writing is serviceable, not beautiful--the story is everything. He should not have been able to win. Many thought he would die before the finish, he looked like a fast skeleton. His heart brought him through.

Disney has purchased the rights. If they make it they shouldn't try to depict too much of Athens in a "Disney" way--unless Disney takes a turn to represent realism.

[Hristos Dagres · Rating 5 out of 5]

Epic!

Only when one read the life and the hardships that Kyriakides had to overcome, only then he can understand the extend of his triumph. It's more than clear that Kyriakides couldn't win Boston Marathon without the strong sense of personal responsibility towards his compatriots in Greece to do his best (actually, surpass his capabilities) in order to help them. Without this strong sense of PATRIOTISM is more than obvious that Kyriakides could never win. It is this sense that first strengthen his spirit, then his psyche and at the end his body.

The living example of Kyriakides proved wrong Samuel Johnson and all who, mindlessly, quote him!

[Αντώνης · Rating 5 out of 5]

Η απίστευτη ιστορία του Στέλιου Κυριακίδη (και όχι μόνο).

[Alan Chen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Epic story undone by awful storytelling. A reporter and a schoolteacher as authors.

Title of their previous book: "Henry Agganis, 'The Golden Greek', An All-American Story" – why not put “TGG” in front?

THE RACE
*"You’re doing great for second"
*"For Greece, for your country!”
*Seen as too weak to start, let alone win
*Dukakis was there

POST VICTORY
+This is a victory for both the US and Greece – US fed Greece after the war and Stelios before the race
+“How can you beat a man who’s running for his country?” & “I’m glad you won, Stanley”
-Doesn’t say how much he raised ($250)
+He’s the first charity runner
-Lots of repeated text
-Nylons mentioned 3 times in short succession
+Both Kelley and Kyriakides were electrical workers

IN GREECE
*”A simple man, a runner, a poor boy from Cyprus was suddenly the hero of a nation, of people hungry for hope and good news almost as much as food
*”Kyriakides our one and only source of good news.” – newspaper
X “…hoisted him up on their shoulders like an ancient Olympic victor being carried to his chariot before he was carried to his car.”
+Stelios is a Cyproit running for Greece, as Meb is an Eritrean running for USA (and both won Boston!)
X “friends and family formed a friendly GANTLET”
*”The war, and the race in Boston, seemed finally over.”
*His is the comeback story, a story of running for a purpose, a story of close calls.

THE FUTURE
*Sohn as the reigning Olympic champion due to no Olympics in ‘40/’44
+Marshall Plan didn’t start immediately after WW2 but was going in ‘48
*Rides bike head down to avoid being swarmed
*Almost got impaled by a javelin
X Return to Boston – Nason mentioned as old acquaintance 2x in 2 sentences
+Book storytelling style works when narrating events in braod scope, like Kyriakides in old ages, contemplating life in retirement and seeing how things have changed
*Hospital bills - $0. “He will pay nothing.”
X The shirt hangs “…along with…” “…along with…”
*Unlike Boston, where he work a grim mask of determination, Kyriakides could muster a small smile because Greece was recovering
“The sun was shining, his son and friend were nearby, and it was good to run free.”

RATING: 2 stars
A tale made of the stuff of legends, butchered by incompetent authors. Kyriakides deserves better, as this book is utterly unworthy to have his name.

[Betsy Pantazelos · Rating 4 out of 5]

Admittedly the writing itself left something to be desired. It was somewhat evident that there had beem multiple authors and perhaps limited editing. That having been said, do NOT overlook this story. Having grown up around the Boston marathon this biography gave a stunning historical account of the race, the Boston community, and one man's boundless determination. There's a statue of him out in Hopkinton on rte. 135, too.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a great story! It tells the tale of Stylianos Kyriakides, a Greek marathon runner during the 1930s and 1940s. He competed in the 1936 Berlin Olympics and then his country was steamrolled by the Italians and Germans during World War II. After the war, he competed in the 1946 Boston Marathon in order to draw international attention to the extreme suffering of his countrymen. It puts a whole new personal spin on the reasons behind the Truman Doctrine and the Marshall Plan.

[Karen Nienhaus · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my biggest heroes. As a runner, amazing. As a person who overcame so much with so much heart and pure tenacity of spirit....awesome.