NTUA Professor George Yannis has successfully completed his challenge to run 30 Marathons in 30 months in order to actively promote the 30km/h speed limit in cities. He has finished all marathons in under 4 hours. This campaign has a particularly significant social impact, with over 400,000 views and 100,000 visitors per year at the website and social media. It also received wide publicity with dozens of interviews on TV, radio and online media and dozens of articles in newspapers and publications in scientific journals and conferences, with the active support of NTUA and all major International Road Safety and mobility Organizations (ETSC, ECTRI, UITP, POLIS, ERF, IRF, FERSI, FEHRL, ECF, WALK21 and HITE).

George Yannis will continue with the same passion supporting with scientific evidence and promoting slower speeds and safer mobility everywhere and for all.

What a bliss to accomplish my 30 Marathons in 30 months challenge (all in less than 4 hours) at my hometown Athens, with very strong emotions at the start in Marathon city, along the 42 km route full of supporters and at the magnificent finish line at the Panathinaikon Marble Stadium surrounded by the greatest fellow runners. Highly grateful to all who believed and supported the campaign for safer cities with 30km/h speed limits. With steady pace we win the race both in running Marathons and in promoting sustainable urban mobility everywhere and for all. And the beautiful journey continues ....

Pure joy to run Munich Marathon mostly rainy and windy 😮, around Gothic monuments and endless parks, the city of real calm driving and several 30k/h zones. With steady pace in the rain and in 14oC I finished in 3 hours 53 minutes, getting ready in high emotions for the last Marathon of my challenge in four weeks in Athens; where I need you to be there to support and celebrate together.

Happy Marathon running around the heavy heroic history of Warsaw, a very sunny day at 9-14oC, through beautiful huge avenues, Vistula river bridges and start and finish at the monumental Palace of Culture and Science. Attempted a fast pace which was not sustainable after mid-way, though finishing nicely at 3 hours and 46 minutes. Two more Marathons to go.

Olympian for a night, running last night with unique joy an amazing Marathon as part of the Olympic Games - Paris 2024. A magical evening in a dream Paris, with fantastic fans, monuments and events all night long. We started at 21:20 at night, a very difficult course, which I read and prepared very well with my coach Nikos Polias and respected and beat in 3 hours and 55 minutes. Very difficult uphill and downhill slopes with 436m uphill and in some places with a 16% gradient; where on the uphill we all walked and on the downhill I went slowly and very technically (with my small steps galloping). We also had a very hot first hour and a half at 28-25oC, while a special effort needed to adapting night biorhythms to race conditions.

Happy to experience an after midnight full moon finish at the Marathon of Torhout in beautiful Flanders, with five laps within a pedestrian and cyclist friendly city. Starting cool and fast during daytime but with slower pace when the night came, finished in 3 hours and 56 minutes. Completed six Marathons in four months, heading for a summer rest before the last four to complete the challenge of 30 Marathons.

Happy to finish the beautiful Utrecht Marathon, between picturesque parks, canals and city monuments, at a cyclists city with low speeds everywhere. Somehow disconnected, both body and mind after 25 Marathons (the sixth this year), saving energy for the last five 😊, finished though in 3 hours 58 minutes at a rather sunny and hot day (19-23oC). Your support being the most important and very welcome at this final challenging phase.

Zurich Marathon was certainly the most difficult I have ever run; cold (0-2oC), rain, snow, repeat; but I made it freezing and wet, with an exhausting and optimized effort, to finish sub-4, in 3 hours and 59 minutes 😊. The snow storm between 25K-31K was simply epic. During the last 12 kilometers, I simply could not feel my legs, but it was the moment that we do run with the heart. And afterwards, in high fever for three days. Otherwise, a nice flat course next to beautiful Zurich Lake, at a city respecting 30km/h calm driving, public transport and pedestrians, cyclists and e-scooters.

What a joy to run at the 2024 Olympic City, a wonderful race around Paris monuments, with more than 50.000 runners and amazing spectators everywhere. But most importantly running at the city pioneer applying city-wide 30km/h speed limit, recently also achieved more cyclists than passenger cars on the road for safer, healthier and greener traffic for all. Started with conservative pace but accelerated mid-way to finish fast and cool with negative split of 2 minutes (second half faster than the first) in 3 hours and 44 minutes.

A highly emotional finish of my 60th Marathon at the very beautiful Barcelona, around Sagrada Familia, the Columbus Monument, the Mediterranean cost and a magnificent finish at the Arc de Triomf in 3 hours 47 minutes. Double happy to run in Barcelona, the world pioneer in urban and mobility planning continuously adapting to focus on quality of life.

Running in joy the 21st Marathon in beautiful Sevilla, an ideal sunny day, at a super flat course along Guadalquivir, around many world's architectural monuments and a city respecting calm driving, two-wheelers and pedestrians. With a very steady pace, finishing in 3 hours 47 minutes.

Running the 20th Marathon in hot Dubai, the new multi-culture and modern-architecture city. At a super flat course along a straight line of 14 km, started at 7:00 with 18oC and finished with 27oC in 3 hour and 51 minutes, mostly in high humidity, hydrated though in almost every km by the excellent organization. 10 more Marathons to complete my 30km/h cities challenge.

Running in Nicosia my 13th Marathon within 2023, surprised to complete without real problems the last 3 Marathons in 4 weeks and 6 Marathons within 3 months. Balancing and optimising effort, rest and speed brings sustainability; so far 😊. An easy ride in 3 hours and 50 minutes, with ideal weather conditions around the divided city, the beautiful suburbs and parks and through several 30km/h zones.

Running the magnificent Florence Marathon, at the heart of European Art; full joy around monuments, bridges and picturesque streets and a legendary start and finish in front of Duomo. My coldest ever Marathon, starting at -3oC and finishing at 5oC, though careful energy management tactics and three layers of clothing 😊 allowed for a glorious finish in 3 hours 45 minutes.

What a splendid Personal Best race of the new era in sunny Athens Marathon. 3 hours and 43 minutes with optimum running effort at the difficult hilly course, brisk at the first part and gradually stronger at the second part (negative split of 1:53 the first half and 1:50 the second half 😊). Full joy running with the support of family and friends along the course and with innermost hope that next year I complete my 30 Marathons challenge with Athens among the cities with 30 km/h speed limit.

Running a very beautiful Marathon race, along Lyon rivers Rhône and Saône, at a highly livable and picturesque city respecting well pedestrians and cyclists. A fast flat course with excellent weather conditions and finishing in full joy in 3 hours and 45 minutes.

What a joy to run the 15th Marathon of my 30 Marathons challenge, in my Brussels Marathon today, at the city pioneer of 30km/h speed limit. Nice weather at a difficult hilly course around beautiful Brussels canals and parks and finishing strong in 3 hours and 54 minutes inside Roi Baudouin Stadium, in high emotions in front of my two brothers Nikos and Alexandros.

Running joy in one more Nordic Marathon, in beautiful Tallinn with excellent weather, mostly flat course and finishing cool in a quite fast timing of 3 hours 37 minutes (Boston Marathon qualifier). The summer training kilometers with great friends paid well back, remind us the fundamental life principle: what we put is what we get.

Feeling in shape, being close, I decided to run Apeldoorn Marathon just one day before. A calm and beautiful race within the forests, surprisingly full of small slopes (286 m elevation change!), exploiting the excellent infrastructure for cyclists and the longest ever straight line I have ever run (5km). Luckily, the rain stopped just before the race and with a steady pace finished in 3:53 minutes, completing 7 marathons in four months. Now some summer training without races before restarting in Autumn.

Epic joy and high emotions, completing my 50th Marathon in Stockholm Olympic Stadium, in Sweden the pioneer of Vision Zero road fatalities inspiring road safety efforts globally. Running with loud Vikings, a sunny day around the Stockholm picturesque islands, parks and monuments at a difficult non-stop slopes' course, at a timing of 3:58, completing sustainably 6 sub-4 Marathons in 14 weeks. Watch the epic video

Running with the very happy Vikings in a beautiful sunny and hot spring day, a very flat course around great monuments in Copenhagen, the most sustainable mobility city of cyclists, electric vehicles and active travelling full engagement. Starting and finishing in great joy together with the great fellow Polias Runners, in 3 hours and 53 minutes at a very steady and sustainable 5:30min/km pace.

Celebrating my name day at the beautiful and flat Belgrade Marathon, through the imposing big bridges of Sava river, the very long and wide avenues and a 3K uphill slope at the finish. A sunny and hot day, full of spectators' bravo along the 42 kms. Happy to managing so far sub-4 hours at all four Marathons in two months, saving stamina for the three Marathons to come before summer.

First time two Marathons in two weeks, fortunately without problems, due to special recovery and physio programmes (thanks to Nikos Polias and Kostas Koulidis) and respecting every one of the 42 kms of the race. 6th time in Paris, the most beautiful course in the world with even more monuments this year and amazing spectators everywhere. And most importantly running in a city pioneer in applying 30km/h speed limit city-wide (with few arteries excepted) for safer, healthier and greener traffic for all.

Pure joy at Legendary Rome, running around eternal monuments, happy fellow runners talking and shouting even more than the spectators, a nice day at a flat course with several cobblestone segments. Slow start to cope with my back pain but then smoothly steady pace that wins the race, finishing in front of the amazing Colosseum.

On the road again, first time on February, not really ready. A beautiful Marathon around the castles of the knights' island, full of slopes, windy but ideal weather and optimum effort finishing in 3 hours 55 minutes. Few spectators rather indifferent and sometimes between vehicles' traffic.

Completed 8 Marathons within 2022 (44th in total). A difficult decision to enter the race within my fracture recovery period, resulted in another very painful Marathon, however overly compensated by a great race at a runners' city together with the best runners group.

The Pain - 3:54:27

Running my 21st Athens Marathon, with heavy pain from a fracture at metatarsus since km 5. My part of bad luck. Great joy in steady pace at the slopes, together with several friends runners and spectators along the route, and a beautiful fast finish.

Racing 42km for the 42nd time at my second Major Marathon, a beautiful day at a flat Marathon route, crowded by runners and spectators everywhere. A joyful fast Marathon in London, the city of the original Marathon distance.

A beautiful day at a flat and beautiful route by the sea at Antwerp Port, that I felt so well and changed my plan after km 10 to accelerate and finish 12 minutes faster than planned.

Great joy at my 40th Marathon. First time a Marathon in August. Beautiful course by the sea at a quite hot day, especially for the Nordic runners. Surprisingly sometimes on sidewalk not to disturb car traffic! A cool run with very steady pace that wins the race.

Beyond the mountains and well beyond my body limits, I completed the Zagori Mountain Marathon+ 44Km with 2.600m elevation gain, at 35oC! Pure joy at the long-waited tribute run to my homeland breath-taking mountains, only possible with the unique support of fellow Polias Runners. The start of the challenge of 30 Marathons in 30 months for 30km/h Cities.