Open Water Swimming (photo: Elias Lefas).
The historic sports event The Authentic Marathon Swim, taking into account the global consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic and prioritizing the safety and health of participants and all involved parties, changes its date for September 4-6, 2020.
ATHENS – The Authentic Marathon Swim race comes 2,500 years later, at the place where it started, in Artemision. The authentic marathon swimming route performed by Skyllias together with his daughter Hydna revives by uniting the legend with history.
The historic sports event The Authentic Marathon Swim, taking into account the global consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic and prioritizing the safety and health of participants and all involved parties, changes its date for September 4-6, 2020.
The great historic sporting event includes 10km, 3km, 1.5km and an 800m swimming race for kids to be held at Pefki, Evia in the Municipality of Istiaia-Edipsos.
In order to revitalize the sports tourism industry of Northern Evia and to strengthen the Greek tourism product during these unprecedented times, the event closely monitors the market developments and remains in contact with the state bodies. With its main priority on ensuring public health, organizers work for the event’s smooth and safe operation. In particular, the event will be fully attuned to the announcements of the General Secretariat of Sports concerning the protocol of races and the requirements in measures to prevent the spread of the disease, in order to protect swimmers, attendants and visitors.
Early bird – Refund offer
Swimmers who are interested in taking part can take advantage of the early bird offer which is valid until June 30. They can now register with a 20% discount at the 10km route and discover the relevant special discounts valid for the 3km and 1.5km routes. 800m children’s race is held at no cost. The event, always prioritizing the participants themselves, offers a refund of their registration costs until July 31.
People over 18 years old can participate in the 10km swimming race. Respectively, people over 14 years of age can participate in the 3km and 1.5km swimming routes. Parental consent is necessary for the participation of any underage athlete. In addition, children from 9 to 13 years old can participate in the 800m swimming race.
The event prioritizing the absolute safety of its athletes, will provide everyone with a high-quality safety lifeguard buoy, giving them an extra motive to choose The Authentic Swimming Marathon. The swimming route will be held at the straits of Artemision where the average water temperature is between 23-26 degrees Celsius. Specialized lifeguards and lifeboats will contribute to the safety of the race. Different categories will be formed for swimmers depending on the total number of participants, while a separate category will be formed for those wearing wetsuits. The event offers race timing for all swimmers. The Authentic Marathon Swim will be held with the approval of the Hellenic Swimming Federation, according to FINA regulations.
The impressive swimming routes of the race have been designed by the Greek national swimming coach and race’s technical director, Nikos Gemelos. In the context of this year’s event, Mr. Gemelos stated: “As Greeks, we must always remember our history and try to keep it unchanged over the years. Marathon swimming regains its special significance and position. We provide swimmers from Greece and abroad with an opportunity to visit Artemision and experience the authentic marathon swimming, while offering them absolute safety and a unique route. Our priority is always the health of all athletes. Therefore, we will take care of this by complying with all necessary protocols”.
More information about the prominent personalities who will take part in The Authentic Marathon Swim and the accommodation packages in the Municipality of Istiaia-Edipsos will be announced in the following weeks.
As part of its global promotion for the attraction of foreign athletes, the event has joined the Global Swim Series (GSS) [numbering more than 200 swimming races].
The Authentic Marathon Swim will be co-organized by the Municipality of Istiaia-Edipsos and Active Media Group.
Vicky is the co-founder of TravelDailyNews Media Network where she is the Editor-in Chief. She is also responsible for the daily operation and the financial policy. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Tourism Business Administration from the Technical University of Athens and a Master in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Wales.
She has many years of both academic and industrial experience within the travel industry. She has written/edited numerous articles in various tourism magazines.
