The life of Panagiotis Karaiskos could easily be the screenplay for a film or a well-written novel. Today, he finished first at the Panathenaic Stadium in the 42nd Authentic Athens Marathon, covering the distance of 42,195 metres in 2:20:08. He thus improved the time he achieved in 2023, when he first placed in 2 hours, 22 minutes, and 37 seconds. However, long before winning gold medals at the Athens Marathons, he had won the gold medal in the Marathon of life.
From Catechism to Hard Drugs
From Sunday school (catechism), he fell into hard drugs, and today he is once again climbing the first step of the podium. His life is like a fairy tale, only to live it, he first had to experience the “fairy tale” (the Greek word is a slang term for the hallucinations of heroin users).
Born in Athens in 1988, Panagiotis Karaiskos grew up cared for and loved by his family. Even during the difficult times when the prosecutor “raided” their house with a police squad searching for drugs, his parents were there. Right beside him. They never rejected him. They never shouted at him. They climbed the Golgotha together and stoically waited for the nightmare to end.
From the Olympics to Hell
When the Olympic Games were held in Athens in 2004, Panagiotis abandoned football and judo. He was just 16 years old. Unfortunately, his first relationship was problematic, as his girlfriend was involved with drugs. It was a matter of time before Panagiotis also “caught” it. “I was a child who grew up in Sunday school, played football, and was at a good level in judo. I gave it all up. I started with hashish, and of course, I started smoking. My friends were using drugs. The downhill slide began gradually,” Panagiotis recalls.
From Hashish to Heroin
The next period was a nightmare. One mistake led to another. Hashish led to ecstasy and cocaine, and from there to intravenous heroin. The decline was endless. Just after turning 18, he faced total devastation.
In 2006, one night, he and three friends were in Petroupoli in a car. They encountered a police roadblock. They got scared. They made a U-turn, aroused suspicion, and were stopped by the police. As he has admitted, they had a large quantity of drugs with them. Panagiotis had a bag at his feet. He threw the hashish into a schoolyard and started running. He was the only one who escaped, but his three friends were arrested. A little later, a police squad led by a prosecutor knocked on his door. His mother was in shock. She collapsed onto the sofa in a semi-conscious state while police searched every corner of the house.
‘Networking’ in the Army Too
Panagiotis was arrested, and in view of the court hearing, he agreed to listen to his lawyer and parents and join the army to practically demonstrate his change of direction and to escape his circle of friends. His psychological state was very bad, but he nevertheless listened to his lawyer and parents. However, life in the army was not ideal either. Already dependent, he “networked” while serving his term in Evros. That’s where he started using heroin. He finished his service and returned to Athens a complete wreck and fully addicted, as he had also started intravenous use, even letting his friends inject him.
The Difficult Adjustment
After a nightmarish five years that, as Panagiotis has said, “passed like a moment of my life due to the addiction,” he made the big decision to enter a rehabilitation programme, always with the help and guidance of his parents. The first months were difficult. Not only did he see no improvement, but things got worse. His body ached, he vomited, and his psychological state was poor. He then went to KETHEA STROFI (a rehabilitation centre), where he had to change everything: “We weren’t allowed to swear or speak in slang. Crossing our legs was forbidden. Smoking and drinking alcohol were not allowed. Everything was very difficult,” Panagiotis recalls.
Telephonist and Nurse
He began to see improvement six months after entering the KETHEA programme, and after nine months, he had gained the trust of the community and himself. He went to the facility three times a week, while simultaneously starting to look for a job to cover his expenses and to socialise. He took a job at a sales call centre. At the same time, he enrolled in a public vocational college studying surgical nursing, as he always liked health professions. Thus, he started practicing at the Attikon Hospital. He bought a bicycle for commuting as he didn’t have money for a car. He also started going back to the gym and playing football. His life began to regain meaning, but he fought a daily battle against “relapsing.”
“I Saw Them Crying and I Wanted to Live It”
In 2012, he was at the Panathenaic Stadium with his friends as a spectator and watched the runners who were crying when they finished. “I thought then that everything they were experiencing must be very powerful, and it would be nice for me to experience it too. That’s how I first thought about one day competing in a marathon, but without a specific plan,” Panagiotis Karaiskos says. A few months later, a friend from KETHEA told him that he had signed up for the 2013 Marathon and asked for Panagiotis’s details to sign him up too. And just like that, the path of the great return opened up for Panagiotis…
The First Marathon of Pain
His first marathon experience was full of pain, as was his whole life. “I thought it was very easy to cover 42 kilometres, perhaps because I used to commute by bicycle. In the first race, I had a tough time. I had cramps, I was in pain everywhere, but I pushed through and finished in under 4 hours. At the finish line, I cried like a little child. That’s where I realised I could do better things, and I literally gained a life goal,” Panagiotis Karaiskos says.
He Got an Athletic Licence
In February 2014, Panagiotis Karaiskos crossed the threshold of the Panellinios Gymnastic Club and, at the age of 26, obtained his first athletic licence. He immediately joined the competitive section and participated in a 10,000-metre national cross-country championship race, finishing in 34 minutes. In November 2014, he ran the Athens Marathon for the second time, and with a time of 2 hours and 47 minutes, he gained great confidence. All this with just seven months of training and without knowing many of the secrets of long distances.
The Nightmare Was Not Over…
It was obvious that Panagiotis had found the meaning he had been searching for since adolescence, but the nightmare was still ahead… All this time, the sins of his past were following him. The Petroupoli case had not concluded, and day and night, the fear of prison was “eating him alive.” One court hearing followed another, and in 2015, the trial took place at the five-member Felony Court of the Supreme Court (Arios Pagos). That day, the charge of drug trafficking was judged. He faced a multi-year prison sentence. In other words, his life was being judged once again.
Even the Supreme Court Judges Cried
His soul spoke during his testimony before the experienced judges. Panagiotis hid nothing. It was not simply a testimony; it was the confession of a young man who made mistakes and found his way back. He talked about everything. He was harshly self-critical. He revealed everything with sincerity, without circumlocution, but also with respect towards the court, his parents, those who helped him, and even those who got him involved. When he finished his testimony, the judges were moved to tears…
A Promise Before God and Judges
He spoke about his three marathons and asked for a chance to continue on the path of his great return. He made a promise before God and the judges that he would only do good for himself and society. And from that day until now, not only has he kept his promise, but he continues to pleasantly surprise and move people with the greatness of his soul and his strength to return from hell to life.
Dreaming of the Olympic Games
Panagiotis has many distinctions in Greece and abroad. He has a personal best of 2:05:48 in Nordsjælland Moen, Norway, and has been a member of the National Marathon teams for two years. He states that he would like many things to change in Greece regarding infrastructure and support for athletes and mass sports. He participates in programmes supporting addicts and providing psychological support to prisoners due to drugs. He has received a scholarship from the American College of Athens and is studying coaching sciences. At the same time, he coaches a group of 40 people in Tritsi Park, and his dream is to compete in the Olympic Games.
An Example for Our Mistakes
This is the winner of the 42nd Marathon. At 37 years old, Panagiotis Karaiskos is an example for all of us, for Greece, and the global running movement. He is the power of will and good against evil and mistakes. He is the person we would all like to follow and, above all, emulate in our difficult times and our big mistakes.
(information from protothema.gr and ethnos.gr)
