TNF's Topher Gaylord sets new course record winning legendary Greek ultramarathon.
Overall boss of outdoor giants The North Face, Topher
Gaylord, recently won the legendary Nemea-Olympia
ultramarathon in Greece.
Gaylord - pictured during the race, below - is President of VF
Outdoor & Action Sports International, which comprises The North
Face®, Vans® and Reef® brands and if The North Face is
really just a fashion brand, no-one appears to have told him.
The race is staged every two years and runs over 180km between two
legendary stadia, starting at the at the Nemea stadium and finishing
at the Olympia stadium, the birthplace of the Olympic Games where the
first Olympic flame was lit in 776BC.
It's a tough old race with runners given 28 hours to complete the
route which includes 3,700 metres of height gain. No support vehicles
or bikes are allowed and runners carry their own water between 19
village supply points along the route.
Gaylord ran through the night and crossed the finish line in the
early morning with a final time of 17 hours and 35 minutes, which is
a course record.
'It was powerful and humbling to participate in this celebration
of international friendship and cooperation,' he said after
finishing.
'This was the longest race I've ever run and my fellow competitors
were very strong," said Gaylord. "I was so grateful to have my wife,
Kim, cheering me on, and to have the collective support of all my
friends at The North Face®.'
Elke Streicher, also an athlete for The North Face®, took
first place among the women and sixth place overall with a time of 22
hours 35 minutes.
Pretty impressive stuff. More about The North Face at www.thenorthface.com.
