Charilaos Vasilakos

Charilaos Vasilakos (Χαρίλαος Βασιλάκος, November 1875 – 1 December 1964) was a Greek athlete and the first man to win a marathon race. He also won a copper medal for second place at the 1896 Summer Olympics in Athens.

Biography
Vasilakos was born in Piraeus, Greece. His father Michael Vasilakos, was from the Mani region and served in the army. He was the oldest of three siblings, and at the age fourteen, his father died. As a young man he studied law at the University of Athens and worked in the Athens court of first instance. He was a member of the Panellinios sports club and a dedicated athlete who pursued running.

On 22 March 1896, Greece held the first modern Panhellenic Games. The main purpose of the games was to select the team that would compete in the first Modern Olympic Games later the same year. All participants were members of Greek sports clubs. Vasilakos had a reputation as a strong long-distance runner. He won the marathon race with a time of 3 hours and 18 minutes.

Vasilakos was one of seventeen athletes who started the Olympic race on 10 April 1896. He finished in second place, behind Spiridon Louis, with a time of 3:06.03 as one of only nine finishers. Both races were on 40-kilometre courses rather than the now-standard 42.195 kilometres.

After the Olympics, Vasilakos helped establish, and participated in, racewalking in Greece. In 1900 he won the first Greek 1000 metres walking race and participated in several races between 1900 and 1906.

Vasilakos studied law and became a customs director in the Greek Ministry of Finance. He had a reputation for honesty and integrity. In 1960, he was awarded the Gold Cross of the Order of Phoenix by King Paul of Greece. Annual marathon races in Olympia commemorate Vasilakos. He was married to his wife Helen. He died in Athens in 1964.

The 2011 book titled Ο Χαρίλαος Βασιλάκος και η αμφιλεγόμενη πρωτιά του Σπύρου Λούη, which translates from Greek to Charilaos Vasilakos and the controversial lead of Spyros Louis, presents a biography of Vasilakos and signs which challenge the 1896 Olympic race results.