TSEPELOVO, Greece – The heart of mountain running beats at the “place beyond the mountain.” Athletes and organizers are gradually completing preparations for the Zagori Mountain Running, the biggest mountain running race in Greece. The 10th anniversary race is approaching and Zagori, with its outstanding natural beauty, is expected to again bring together, with utmost safety, professional and amateur runners from Greece and abroad on July 23-25.

Great athletes honor the event’s 11 years!

The TeRA 80km, which is considered as the milestone-race in the history of mountain ultras, is even more highly anticipated this year due to the participation of Greek athletes such as Fotis Zisimopoulos, Vangelis Noulas, Angelos Ziakas, Thodoris Zisis and Giannis Kourkourikis, while Dimitris Seletis, the 2019 winner with a time of 8:18’:06’’ will attempt to claim the first place again. Moreover, participants from Spain include Jesed Hernandez, who returns with the desire to claim the first place, and Miguel Angel Heras, the greatest foreign athlete who has ever visited our country so far, are expected with great interest. Finally, Apostolos Tzoumakas is also participating in the race.

The schedule

Participants may pick up their participation kits beginning Thursday, July 22 at the Fifth Element store (Dagli 2 and Papazoglou in Ioannina), between 6-9 PM or alternatively on Friday, July 23 (12-10 PM) and on Saturday, July 24 (10 AM-8 PM) at Tsepelovo High School.

On Friday, July 23, at 7 PM, the race briefing of the athletes will take place at the Tsepelovo High School and at 8 PM there will be a Pasta Party for the athletes in the 80km and 44km races, with the support of Melissa pasta industry and Dodoni dairy product company.

Races’ action starts on Saturday, July 24, 4:30 AM, at Tsepelovo, with the TeRA 80km mountain running race. The race’s route extends to 80 kilometers and its positive altitude difference exceeds the 5,100 meters. The race has a time limit of 20 hours from the start and has four intermediate elimination points.

At 6 AM, Marathon 44+ takes over, with a 44km circular route, with 2,600m of positive altitude, which challenges athletes to raise their personal goals and experience mountain running from a different angle.

With the coolness and hydration offered by the Natural Mineral Water Zagori, children’s favorite running race of 1km distance, Zagoraki, will be held on Saturday, 6 PM. The children are expected to have fun, run in nature and learn the value of sports. At the end of the race, there will be a draw and prizes will be given from the Natural Mineral Water Zagori in the context of environmental responsibility and familiarization with the concept of recycling. The lottery will be attended by all participants and visitors who will recycle any packaging of glass, plastic, and aluminum in the mobile recycling unit with photovoltaic panels that will be located on site.

On Sunday July 25, athletes will get to know the two brand new routes, the Half Marathon 21km and the Entry Race 10km. At 7:45 AM the renewed Half Marathon 21km race will start, while the competitive Entry Race 10km will start at 9:10 AM. All routes have Tsepelovo as their starting and finishing point.

Due to the current condition of the pandemic, the athletes on all routes will start gradually, in order to avoid overcrowding at the starting point.

How to join us

The event will be conducted based on the strict health protocol that has received the approval of the Health Scientific Committee of the General Secretariat of Sports which is being carried out by the organizing committee. All participants must bring an EU Digital COVID-19 Certificate in order to enter the event’s venue. Alternatively, they must have conducted a rapid test or a PCR test for COVID-19 within 48 hours before the start of their race and provide confirmation of their negative result. With the exception of those who will provide a vaccination certificate or a certificate that proves that they have recovered from COVID-19 within the last 2-9 months. Finally, if there are consecutive race days for a participant, it is recommended to do one test before the first race.

Gaining environmental awareness

The Natural Mineral Water Zagori, the event’s grand sponsor, will offer the necessary hydration and revitalization to all athletes, in the new Zagori Go Green bottles, with 30% recycled plastic. With the message “we do not need rules to make the right move, our conscience is enough”, we gain environmental awareness and recycle our bottles in the mobile recycling unit with photovoltaic panels that will be located at the venue, as all Zagori packaging materials are 100% recyclable.

We run with VECTIV technology

All participants will have the opportunity to get acquainted with the VECTIV series pioneering technology that the leading outdoor clothing and equipment company The North Face brings. Vectiv turns energy into momentum and propels all new athletes forward with the motto “Power Further”. As part of this year’s activities, new explorers will be able to discover and connect with nature in the designated “Camping by The North Face” venue. The young explorers will attempt the unique climbing wall, while the outdoor explorer Christina Flampouri will share her experiences with the public.

We contribute to the protection of the Vikos-Aoos Geopark

Fifth Element, as a sponsor of the event that represents the leading outdoor companies being the most specialized sports activity store, is always on the side of renowned athletes, while supporting sports events that promote culture and contribute to the tourism development of Epirus. This year, Fifth Element, offers exclusively for purchase the collectible Buff for Zagori Mountain Running 2021. This way, it contributes towards the work for the protection and conservation of the Vikos-Aoos Geopark’s unique biodiversity.

Purchase the collectible bracelet for a good cause

With the “Respect the Mountains” ecological message, the event contributes once again to society as a whole. More specifically, Zagori Mountain Running participants will be able to purchase the collectible bracelet and contribute, as all the proceeds from its sales will be given to support the Association of Parents of Children with Neoplastic Disease “Floga” of Ioannina.

Zagori Mountain Running is organized by My Adventure. The event is co-organized by the Region of Epirus and the Municipality of Zagori. Northern Pindos National Park and the Vikos-Aoos Geopark are the event’s Institutional Supporters.

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