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 Zagorochoria on July 19-21, 2024, 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, from 3 to 79 years old, and more than 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 4 continents participated, including United States of America, 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 Friday, July 19, featuring a welcome and race presentation by the organizing committee, Mara Kalogirou, Vassilis 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 Saturday, July 20, the TeRA race (60km) started, with a length of 60 kilometers and a positive elevation gain of nearly 4,000 meters. On the same day, the Half Marathon (21km) also started, featuring a unique route that crosses four traditional villages and bridges, including Hatsiou, Kokkori, and Tritoxo. 2 On Saturday 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 those who wished to start mountain running.
On
Sunday, July 21, the
Zagori Classic Race (33km) started. 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 of 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 2 days.
Results - Outstanding Athletes & Course Records
In the TeRA 60km race, in men’s category, Dimitris Seletis finished first with a course record, Dimitris Eleftheriou was second, and Theodoros Zisis third. In the women’s category, Maria Xanthou finished first, Nikoletta Tzavara was second, and Lemonia Panagiotou third.
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temporary results of the TeRA 60km here.
In the new Zagori Classic Race (33km), in 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.
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temporary results of the Zagori Classic Race (33km) here.
In the new Challenge (60+33km) race, in men’s category, George Dimoulas was the winner, Christos Sakkas was second, and Nikos Rodopoulos third. In the women’s category, Lemonia Panagiotou took the first place, followed by Christina Chanou in the second place, and Fotini Theochadari in the third place.
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temporary results of the Challenge (60+33km) here.
In the Half Marathon (21km) race, in men’s category, Giorgos Stamoulis finished first with a course record, Nikos Ponireas was second, and Emmanouil Pourikas third. In the women’s category, Isabella Kotsacheili finished first with a course record, followed by Lamprini Liouta in the second place, and Theriani Tsiati in the third place.
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temporary results of the Half Marathon (21km) here.
In the Forest (10km) race, in men’s category, Giorgos Stamoulis finished first again with a course record, Stavros Gkinis was second, and Charalambos Delis third. In the women’s category, Chrysoula Vlissarouli and Pauline Bec finished first together, with Zoe Andrikopoulou finishing in the third place.
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temporary results of the Forest (10km) here.
In the new Fun (5km) race, in 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.
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temporary results of the Fun (5km) here.
ZAGORI Natural Mineral Water Hydrated and Refreshed Runners of all ages and Volunteers!
ZAGORI Natural Mineral Water supported this year’s Zagori Mountain Running as the Grand Sponsor, providing essential hydration and refreshment to all athletes, and also served as the Title Sponsor of the children’s race ZAGORAKI. ZAGORI could not be absent from this event given the company’s unwavering commitment to promoting sports and fair play, alongside the healthy diet it serves with its high-quality products. In this place, “beyond the mountain”, water is known as ZAGORI.
Unique Activities by The North Face
Once again, the top outdoor clothing and equipment company, The North Face, supported the 13 th Zagori Mountain Running as a Grand Sponsor. The North Face team supported the efforts of all runners at the special cheer-up areas, encouraging them every step of the way, while athletes who completed the TeRA and Classic Race 33km received unique finisher gifts from the company, reminding them of the strength, persistence, passion, and challenges they successfully overcame. Visitors admired and tried out the VECTIV Summit Pro series at The North Face booth, while the young explorers safely enjoyed the climbing wall of The North Face.
The Fifth Element Store Played a Leading Part and Raised Awareness
The Fifth Element company was once again a Grand Sponsor of Zagori Mountain Running, offering cash prizes and gift vouchers to athletes. The Fifth Element store, known for its dedication to high-quality sports and outdoor gear, played an active role this year in supporting environmental conservation. They contributed to the protection of nature and respect for the environment by backing the efforts of the Vikos–Aoos National Park. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of this year's collectible Buff® for Zagori Mountain Running 2024, which celebrates the seven most iconic peaks of Mount Tymfi, will be allocated to this cause.
In the context of this year’s Zagori Mountain Running, the owner of My Adventure and Fifth Element and race organizer, Mr. Vassilis Tzoumakas, stated: “We are happy and proud that for the 13th year we managed to organize the biggest mountain running race in Greece with absolute safety and respect for the environment, achieving record participation with over 2,800 runners. Athletes from 35 countries experienced unique moments and boosted tourism and the economy of this area. We sincerely thank all our sponsors for their support, the Epirus Region and the Municipality of Zagori for standing by us from the beginning, all partners who helped in the implementation, and of course, the volunteers who are an integral part of this mountain running celebration”.
During the event, the
Melissa Pasta Parties held at Tsepelovo High School provided the necessary energy and helped the recovery of the TeRA and 33km athletes with the support of
Melissa pasta.
Distinctive Winner Prizes
This year’s winner prizes were handmade sculptures made of plaster and resin, created by Christina Sotiropoulou under the supervision of Mr. Ioannis Kokkalis, Assistant Professor of the School of Fine Arts of Ioannina, produced at the Sculpture Workshop of the School of Fine Arts of the University of Ioannina.
ZAGORI Natural Mineral Water, The North Face, and Fifth Element Adventure Store were the event’s Grand Sponsors.
JEEP AUTOLINEA Ioannina was the Mobility Sponsor.
Neversecond, Melissa, NOMAD Premium Greek Honey, Costa Coffee, Dole, PINDOS, Gold Nutrition, Green Cola, Igloo, RACE FACTORY, Agrino, Neubria, APU, Polo, Buff, Desocks, Yfantis, Dodoni, Sportbook Publications, Bliz, and Ostracon were the event’s Official Supporters.
Zagori Mountain Running was organized by My Adventure in collaboration with the Region of Epirus and the Municipality of Zagori.
Northern Pindos National Park and the Vikos-Aoos Geopark were the event’s Institutional Supporters.
The smooth implementation of the event was significantly aided by the support of the Volunteer Samaritan Corps of the Ioannina Branch of the Hellenic Red Cross, the Cultural Association of Tsepelovo “Anastasios Tsouflis”, and all the volunteers who assisted during the races on the routes, at the feed stations, and the finish line.
#zagorirace2024 #zagorimountainrunning #zmr2024 #tymfissevensummits #theplacebeyondthemountain
