ROME – Filipino ultrarunner Rex Brillantes etched his name into endurance sports history after completing one of the world’s most brutal ultramarathons — The Authentic Pheidippides Run, a 490-kilometer race from Athens to Sparta and back, with a punishing 98-hour cutoff.
Held from Nov. 20 to 24, 2025, the ninth edition of the event tested 68 elite ultrarunners from across the globe, with less than half of them reaching the finish line.
Among them was Brillantes, the 49-year-old and proud son of Negros Occidental who crossed the finish line after 94 hours, 57 minutes and 38 seconds, securing 22nd place in one of the harshest events in global ultrarunning.
Completing this race is considered a milestone even among seasoned ultrarunners and only the strongest — physically, mentally and emotionally — survive the course.
With relentless elevation gains, unforgiving terrain and dozens of strict checkpoints that eliminate runners who fail to meet cutoff times, The Pheidippides Run 490KM is a test of pure human endurance, often referred to as a “journey into the soul.”
For Dublin-based Brillantes, this journey was powered not only by grit but also by the unwavering support of his wife, Jen, and crew member Endurance runner Jivee Tolentino, who became the first Filipino to ever finish this race in 2021.
The final stretch was even more brutal.
“The last 50 kilometers felt like walking on shattered glass,” Jen said. / PNA