“There’s nothing more real than the dream-09:02. We reached the top of Greece with Eleftheria and our team” said the Instagram post this Greek athlete posted.
Long distance athlete Marios Giannakou informed his followers that they have successfully completed one of the most beautiful and important races of his life.
He conquered the top of the Mount Olympus while carrying the 22-year-old Eleftheria Tosiou on his back in a specialized backpack due to her disability.
The athlete from Drama, northern Greece, shared a photo of himself with the young biology student on his back and the Greek flag in both hand and a wide smile on their faces.
Numerous Climbs, but this One Had the most Special Purpose
Several days before they began their expedition to the top of the Mount Olympus (this was his 51st time!), Giannakou stated that he has succeeded in long distance races in the jungle, the desert, and even Antarctica, but from all of the competitions in the world and all the medals and distinctions, few were with a similar purpose.
The girl who’s a biology student met Mario through one of her friends and told him how she always wanted to reach the peak of the Mount Olympus. This inspired him to check his diary, study the meteorology forecasts, organize the support team, and make the girl’s dream come true.
Their quest was supported by 8 other team members and the girl was placed in a special backpack. They rested at 2400 meters and camped for a night. Then, in 6 am, they resumed their climb.
Three hours later, with more than 10 hours of climbing in total, the pair reached the impressive 2918 m summit. It’s really heart-warming knowing that heroes aren’t a myth, in fact, some of them live right next to us.
Marios Giannakou is a perfect example of what a real-life hero can do.
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