NAME:
GIORGOS LOUFEKIS
DISCIPLINE:
TRAIL RUNNING
HOMETOWN:
PREVEZA
CURRENTLY LIVING:
ATHINA
BIRTHDATE:
30/8/1989
Short bio, few words that define you as an athlete and as a person:
18 years runner, starting from the track, I jumped to the mountain in the middle distances with aspirations for the ultras. I do not like to sit, I avoid meat, I like empowerment. I prefer active people, optimistic and smiling.
When did you first start your discipline?
I started doing mountain running in 2016, as a continuation of my course in athletics. Specifically, I decided to run 1-2 races before closing the chapter active athlete and finally without realizing it in a few months I had established myself in mountain running in Greece.
What do you most enjoy about your sport?
First of all I like the intensity and the alternations. beyond that I like the freedom you feel when you run, how close you are to nature and the landscapes you meet and they change in a race..you do not compete in a terrain but in many.
What are your hobbies, profession outside of your sport?
I work professionally in distance training in mountain, road and triathlon. for the last 3 years I have made my own l-crew, which as the name suggests, we are more than a team. road, mountain and triathlon athletes who each support the other in and out of training. in addition to my sport, I enjoy cycling with my athletes or watching them swim. In addition, I like intense activities such as canoeing, kayaking and at some point I would like to go skiing. I almost enjoy every activity. I hope in the next 40 years I have found a less active hobby otherwise I will have a problem
Who or what inspires you?
I am inspired by 2 categories of people. firstly, people who steal time from their daily lives to do what they love. And secondly I am inspired by the pioneers, those who have paved new roads in the area where they are active and do not set foot on familiar paths.
Describe your perfect day:
The perfect day starts with a good night’s sleep! waking up in the morning with a good coffee and a strong group training on the mountain. return early and coffee somewhere with a view… and some game. table tennis or billiards .. food, rest and in the afternoon to go up the same mountain on an asphalt road by bike. .a night massage and a movie.
Achievements & future projects:
Achievements can probably be considered the second place in the pan-Hellenic mountain road championship, my participation in the pan-european championship and in the last 2 races of the world cup in 2019. but a bigger achievement is that at the same time I ran 2.36 in the classic marathon.
Future projects are the participation and distinction in competitions abroad as well as the organization of group trips in competitions and training camps in order to get to know other athletes / athletes of different places and cultures. Sports tourism is very beautiful and I think it is a way to come more close to nature, activity and only by winning can we get out of it. As for dynafit, I found the right partner for both me and my team. The choice was made after I tried all the well-known companies and having an appeal in minimal shoes, feline up fascinated me from the first moment and since then I wear it and recommend it to all my athletes as the ideal short and medium distance racing shoe. I also use the other models depending on the terrain and the distance. What won me over at dynafit is that it does not follow exclusively one line but each shoe differs depending on the purpose it serves. The same of course applies to the clothing and the rest equipment .(vests, walking sticks, etc.).