The Spetses Mini Marathon seems that will break the limit of 100,000 participants since 2011, when it started. It is a sporting event, a pioneer in the segment of sports tourism and it takes place every year, like the Spetsathlon, on the island of Spetses.
“In 2011, sports tourism was almost something…unheard of and the goal of the first year was for 1,000 people”, said Marina – Lyda Koutarellli yesterday, the leading mind and organizer of Spetses mini Marathon and Spetsathlon, through the Communication Lab, on the occasion of the presentation of this year’s event. Over the last seven years, the island of Spetses has received thousands of visitors, especially during periods when there was not much tourism on the island. This year, the 7th Spetses Mini Marathon will be held from 6 to 8 October under the auspices of the Municipality of Spetses and EOT. “If our numbers are verified, we will cumulatively exceed 100,000 entries in seven years”, the founder of the institution and chairman of the Organizing Committee pointed out.
“Every year is better than the previous”, said Mr. Panagiotis Lyrakis, mayor of the island, which, together with the surrounding areas, has during the days of the two events in October and in May reservations close to 100 %. During the two events, the organizations of the island and the Association of Merchants support the athlets and visitors by offering special prices and privileges at all local businesses. With 27 awards for its contribution to tourism, sports and economy, as well as 2 National Champion awards from the world-renowned European Business Awards, the largest multi-sport event is expected to exceed the all previous events in attendance this year.
It should be noted that only recently, the General Secretariat for Sports issued the regulations for the certification and supervision of sports tourism in Greece.
As far as the Spetses Mini Marathon is concerned, the innovation in this year’s event is “Bring a Tree”, a pioneering social movement to sensitize the world after the devastating fires that took place on the island of Spetses during the summer. The event invites all participants, whether athletes or not, to offer a pine (or to contribute by paying the corresponding fee) to make the planned reforestation of the island in 2018, as instructed by the competent bodies.
In addition, through the implementation of the Spetses mini Marathon App, created by the largest sponsor and telecoms provider WIND Hellas and available free of charge, users will be able to watch their friends and be informed about the routes, the program and the news of the event in real time, through livestreaming.
