Background
Elena Polyakova was born on March 22, 1981 in Znamensk, Astrakhan Oblast, a closed city in Russia.
Elena Polyakova was born on March 22, 1981 in Znamensk, Astrakhan Oblast, a closed city in Russia.
A travel agent from profession, she seasonally was working in Antalya, 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 lives in Istanbul.
Polyakova participated at Istanbul Marathon in 2007 and 2008, however, without gaining success. At the 250 km (160 mi) long ultramarathon of 2012 Atacama Crossing in Chile, which is the first of the 4 Deserts endurance footrace series, she placed fourth.
The same year, she finished the most difficult footrace of Europe, the 168 km (104 mi) of Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc in the Alps, at rank thirteen.