Stelios Kyriakidis

Stelios Kyriakidis was born on Cyprus and won several distance running titles at the 1932 Pan-Cyprian Games. Later that year he won the Greek national marathon title, and was soon chosen to compete for Greece in the marathon at the 1936 Berlin Olympics, where he finished 11th. Kyriakidis was a 14-time winner at the Pan-Cyprian Games and an 11-time Greek National Champion. He also competed at the 1948 London Olympics.

Kyriakidis joined the Greek resistance during World War II, and during the Nazi occupation of his homeland, he twice evaded execution when he was recognized by his Nazi tormenters as an Olympic athlete. After the war, he was emaciated, having lost much weight, and sold his furniture to buy a ticket to the United States to run in the 1946 Boston Marathon, although he was also supported by Greek-Americans Giorgios and Spyros Demeter. His goal in running was not just to try to win the marathon, but to persuade Americans to help send food and supplies to his war-torn nation. Near the end of the 1946 Boston Marathon Kyriakidis was running alongside his close friend Johnny Kelley, when an older Greek-American in the crowd yelled out, “For Greece, for your children.” Inspired, Kyriakidis pulled away to win the race, considered perhaps the most emotional victory ever at the Boston Marathon.

Kyriakidis was successful in his other goal, as his efforts helped raise over 25,000 tons of supplies for his homeland. When he returned to Greece, over 1,000,000 Greeks lined the streets of Athina to greet him, a ceremony was held in his honor at the Temple of Zeus, and the Acropolis was illuminated in his honor, the first such lighting after World War II. He was later given the Grand Cross of the Phoenix by the Greek King. In 2004 a statue of Kyriakidis was placed one mile beyond the Hopkinton starting line of the Boston Marathon, entitled “The Spirit of the Marathon.” A copy of the same statue was also placed in Marathon, Greece.

Personal Best: Mar – 2-29:27 (1946).