Elena Polyakova (; born 22 March 1981) is a Russian female

ultramarathon An ultramarathon is a footrace longer than the traditional marathon distance of . The sport of running ultramarathons is called ultra running or ultra distance running. Various distances, surfaces, and formats are raced competitively, from the ...

runner, and formerly a female bodybuilder. Elena Polyakova was born on 22 March 1981 in Znamensk, Astrakhan Oblast, a

closed city A closed city or town is a settlement where travel or residency restrictions are applied. Historically, the construction of closed cities became increasingly common after the beginning of the Cold War, particularly in the Soviet Union. Since t ...

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

. She performed sports in athletics and body building, and won a number of cups. A travel agent from profession, she seasonally was working in

Antalya Antalya is the fifth-most populous city in Turkey and the capital of Antalya Province. Recognized as the "capital of tourism" in Turkey and a pivotal part of the Turkish Riviera, Antalya sits on Anatolia's southwest coast, flanked by the Tau ...

, Turkey since 2005. In September 2011, she met Alper Dalkılıç, a Turkish ultra runner during the 2011 Lycian Way Ultramarathon in southern Turkey. One month after she returned home, she decided to move to Turkey. Since then, she has lived in

Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...

Athletics career

Polyakova participated at Istanbul Marathon in 2007 and 2008, without success. From the 2011 Lycian Way Ultramarathon on including, she won all the women's category titles of ultramarathon events held in Turkey. At the long ultramarathon of 2012 Atacama Crossing in

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, stretching along a narrow strip of land between the Andes, Andes Mountains and the Paci ...

, which is the first of the

4 Deserts The 4 Deserts Ultramarathon Series is an annual series of four 250-kilometer (155-mile) races across deserts around the globe. The races were recognized as the world's leading endurance footrace series by ''TIME'' magazine in 2009 and 2010, as th ...

endurance footrace series, she placed fourth. In 2013, Polyakova won the Two Castles and an Abbey Trail Ultra in

Cyprus Cyprus (), officially the Republic of Cyprus, is an island country in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Situated in West Asia, its cultural identity and geopolitical orientation are overwhelmingly Southeast European. Cyprus is the List of isl ...

. The same year, she finished the most difficult footrace of Europe, the of Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc in the

Alps The Alps () are some of the highest and most extensive mountain ranges in Europe, stretching approximately across eight Alpine countries (from west to east): Monaco, France, Switzerland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Germany, Austria and Slovenia. ...

, at rank thirteen.

Achievements

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Polyakova, Elena 1981 births Living people People from Znamensk, Astrakhan Oblast Russian female bodybuilders Russian female long-distance runners Russian female marathon runners Russian ultramarathon runners Russian expatriate sportspeople in Turkey Female ultramarathon runners Sportspeople from Astrakhan Oblast 21st-century Russian sportswomen