Chapter 13: Alekos Menelaou Unforgettable Journey at PATAGONMAN
Some races test fitness. Others test patience. PATAGONMAN tests whether you actually meant all those things you say about limits, fear, and quitting.
In December 2025, Alekos Menelaou became the first Cypriot triathlete to ever finish PATAGONMAN, one of the most extreme triathlons on the planet. Patagonia. Chile. Cold water. Endless wind. Isolation. No crowds. No noise. Just you, your thoughts, and consequences.
This wasn’t a bucket-list stunt. It started, like most dangerous ideas, casually.
The decision
Alekos watched videos. Athletes shaking uncontrollably. Hypothermia. DNFs. Silence at the finish line.
Perfect.
He applied without telling anyone except his wife, Miria. Even he didn’t believe he’d be accepted. Then the email arrived.
“You have been selected.”
Suddenly, a joke became a commitment. And commitments don’t care if you’re ready.
After the mandatory reality check with fellow endurance addicts and trusted friends, the verdict was simple.
You go.
Swim. 4 km. 5 a.m. Darkness.
PATAGONMAN starts the way horror movies do. Jumping off a ferry into freezing water before sunrise.
No warm-up. No margin.
Adrenaline carried Alekos through the swim. No cold. No time awareness. Just forward motion in black water. Four kilometers disappeared faster than expected, which in PATAGONMAN terms means “survivable.”
Bike. 180 km of Patagonia reminding you who’s in charge.
Wind. Cold. Endless climbing.
Dressed like a ninja, Alekos faced one of the most brutal bike legs in triathlon. PATAGONMAN doesn’t reward power. It punishes it. Relentlessly.
Still, the numbers tell their own story.
20 minutes at 254 watts.
11 km/h average on flat terrain.
Headwind, always.
Seven hours later, he dismounted and did something new.
He cried. Not from pain. From relief.
The suffering was done. Or so he thought.
Run. The longest conversation with yourself.
The marathon at PATAGONMAN is not a marathon. It’s a negotiation.
Over 1,000 meters of elevation. Trail. Climbs. Descents. No rhythm.
Alekos started running and immediately broke down. He called his mother.
“Mom, I’m okay. I started running.”
Then his coach, Dimos Paps.
“This is torture” Alekos said.
The answer was exactly what it needed to be.
“You’re tough. Don’t quit.”
At 24 km, he was empty. Physically finished. Mentally cornered.
So he reminded himself of something simple.
“I don’t quit.”
The last two kilometers were run through tears, gratitude, and silence. Gratitude for strength. For resilience. For his father. For the ability to continue when stopping feels logical.
The people behind the finish
Extreme triathlon is never solo, no matter how lonely it looks.
Miria. Maarlen. The crew that made the impossible manageable.
PATAGONMAN doesn’t reward ego. It rewards humility and support.
More than a race
PATAGONMAN was not a competition. It was a lesson. A lesson about fear. About commitment. About how far “enough” really is.
Alekos Menelaou didn’t just finish an extreme triathlon. He expanded what Cypriot endurance sport can look like on the world stage.
And at Ventus, we recognize this for what it is.
Not content. Not performance. Character.
PATAGONMAN finished.
Lessons earned.
Chapter written.
This is what Alekos delivered. We are proud.
