Athlete Fulfills Disabled Friend’s Life-Long Dream To Reach Mount Olympus Peak

• Marios is like a modern-day Atlas when he carried the weight of a disabled friend upon his shoulders to fulfill her dream. 
• And that dream was to climb the highest peak of Mt. Olympus. 
• The athlete never hesitated even a bit and considered this feat more valuable than all other awards he has received in life.

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Perhaps one of the most famous stories in Greek mythology is that of Atlas — the one who bore the weight of the heavens upon his shoulders. 

The reason he is mentioned above is because this story is about a man who climbed Mount Olympus, carrying the weight of a disabled woman whose dream was to set foot in the home of the ancient gods.

Athlete Marios Giannakou has been setting records and taking challenges head on most of his life. He has hiked 168 miles through the Marmoum Desert and finished first place in a 93-mile race across the frigid Antarctica. 

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Πρώτη κοινή προπόνηση για Όλυμπο . Κύλησε ο τέντζερης και βρήκε το καπάκι ????????‍♂️????

A post shared by Marios Giannakou (@marios_giannakou) on Sep 30, 2020 at 5:55am PDT

The Long-distance runner has already climbed Mount Olympus prior to his latest one. In fact he has been in its highest peak for 50 times and recently, he went back — not only to challenge himself again but to fulfill a friend’s life-long dream.

Eleftheria Tosiou is a 22-year-old student taking up Biology. Her dream was to climb the summit of Mount Olympus and that’s why, when she met Marios and became friends with him, it was an answered prayer. For Marios, bringing his new friend up the heights of Olympus means more than anything he’s ever accomplished. 

“For me, all international races, the medals and the distinctions so far, mean little compared to that goal,” he said.

So, they prepared for the event, secured Eleftheria in a modified backpack specifically designed for her safety, had a support team with 8 members, and off they went to conquer Onlympus’ tallest peak — Mt. Mytikas.

The team took a rest after reaching 2,400 meters and bivouacked for the night. Then they started walking again by 6 in the morning. 

After three hours of trekking, the team reached the summit at 2,918 meters above sea level, at 9:02 local time, having walked a total of over 10 hours. 

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Σε ευχαριστώ που μου εμπιστεύτηκες την ζωή σου. Είσαι το πιο σκληρό καρύδι που έχω γνωρίσει. ???? @c_sofikitis

A post shared by Marios Giannakou (@marios_giannakou) on Oct 6, 2020 at 7:04am PDT

“There is nothing more real than the dream,” Marios shared in a post on Instagram.

While the tales and stories of the great gods and goddesses remain only as myths and legends, it’s great to be reminded that there are real-life heroes like Marios. And we believe there are more of him out there, in all corners of the earth.

Source: Good News Network