ZAGORI – Thousands of visitors gathered for the 13th year at the top celebration of the country’s biggest mountain trail running event, Zagori Mountain Running, held in the Zagorochoria July 19-21, with starting and finishing points in the village of Tsepelovo. The stone-built villages, traditional bridges, and unique attractions of Epirus, such as the Vikos Gorge, Vradeto Steps, Voidomatis River, Aoos Gorge, the imposing peaks of the Tymfi mountain range, the impressive Dragon Lake, and the protected natural wealth area of the Vikos-Aoos National Park, along with the rich biodiversity and excellent weather conditions, made the perfect setting for the biggest mountain running event in Greece.

More than 2,800 athletes, ages 3 to 79, and over 11,000 visitors, visited Zagori for the three-day event, in a place included in the UNESCO World Heritage List, to experience this great festival of mountain sports tourism, share authentic experiences, and create memories in the place beyond the mountain. Athletes from 35 countries and four continents participated, including the United States, Canada, Argentina, Colombia, China, Australia, New Zealand, Great Britain, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Belgium, Denmark, Netherlands, Czech Republic, Sweden, Finland, Norway, Poland, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, Russia, Israel, Georgia, Moldova, Serbia, Montenegro, Bulgaria, Romania, Albania, North Macedonia, Cyprus, and Greece.

Nearly all participants remained in the area for a minimum of three days, further promoting the Epirus Region and Municipality of Zagori tourism and boosting the local economy and businesses.

Mountain Running for a Good Cause

The official opening of Zagori Mountain Running 2024 took place on July 19, featuring a welcome and race presentation by the organizing committee, Mara Kalogirou, Vasilis Tzoumakas, and Alexandros Kalogirou. As part of this year’s event, the collectible bracelet of Zagori Mountain Running 2024 was presented, supporting the Bone Marrow Donor Center of the University of Patras (KEDMOP) – ‘Give Life’ covering all costs for the laboratory analysis and storage of samples collected during the race days by the volunteer team ‘Dream Team – Give Life.’

Competition in the Place Beyond the Mountain

On July 20, the TeRA race with a length of 60 kilometers and a positive elevation gain of nearly 4,000 meters was held. On the same day, the Half Marathon (21km) was also held, featuring a unique route that crosses four traditional villages and bridges, including Hatsiou, Kokkori, and Tritoxo.

In the afternoon, Tsepelovo was filled with smiles as over 400 children participated in the beloved race for the young friends, ZAGORAKI, supported by ZAGORI Natural Mineral Water. The first race day concluded with the Fun race (5km), which took place around the village of Tsepelovo, on a moderately challenging route with +240 meters of positive elevation, ideal for all mountain running beginners.

On July 21, the Zagori Classic Race featured a new, stunning 33-kilometer route with a positive elevation gain of 2,100 meters, passing through 7 villages of Zagori, offering participants an incredible opportunity to discover their limits and enjoy the beauty of the mountain landscape. The Forest race (10km) followed, one of the most beautiful races in Zagori Mountain Running, which took place in a unique forest landscape. The Challenge race (60+33km) was the innovation of this year’s event, giving participants the opportunity to run both the TeRA (60km) and the Zagori Classic Race (33km), running two races back-to-back in two days.

In the TeRA 60km, Dimitris Seletis finished first with a course record in the men’s race, Dimitris Eleftheriou was second, and Theodoros Zisis third. In the women’s race, Maria Xanthou finished first, Nikoletta Tzavara was second, and Lemonia Panagiotou third.

In the new Zagori Classic Race (33km), in the men’s category, Vasilis Balamotis finished first, Theodoros Ziakkas second, and Georgios Natsiopoulos third. In the women’s category, Fotini Meidani finished first, Marianna Barouti second, and Georgia Kanouta third.

In the new Challenge (60+33km), George Dimoulas won the men’s race, Christos Sakkas was second, and Nikos Rodopoulos third. In the women’s race, Lemonia Panagiotou took first place, Christina Chanou second place, and Fotini Theochadari third.

In the Half Marathon (21km), Giorgos Stamoulis finished first with a course record in the men’s race, Nikos Ponireas was second, and Emmanouil Pourikas third. In the women’s race, Isabella Kotsacheili finished first with a course record, followed by Lamprini Liouta in second, and Theriani Tsiati in third.

In the Forest (10km), Giorgos Stamoulis finished first again with a course record in the men’s race, Stavros Gkinis was second, and Charalambos Delis third. In the women’s race, Chrysoula Vlissarouli and Pauline Bec finished first together, with Zoe Andrikopoulou finishing in third place.

In the new Fun (5km) race, in the men’s category, Nick Lampropoulos finished first, Orestis Papagiannis second, and Athanasios Zemadanis third. In the women’s category, Chrysoula Antonopoulou finished first, Melina Pargana second, and Maria Kazakou third.

More information and results available online: website: https://www.zagorirace.gr.