Feature: Mythical Greek "Mount of Gods" to host 12th Olympus Marathon

For 12 consecutive years to date, the Greek mythical "Mount of Gods" Olympus in the region of Pieria, Northern Greece, has hosted the Olympus Marathon, the most significant trail running event in Greece.

This year's event will be held on June 28 with 700 athletes from Greece and many other countries participating.

Starting at the archaeological site of Dion and ending in the town of Litochoro, the route follows the one pilgrims in ancient Greece took when ascending to Mount Olympus to honor and make sacrifice to Zeus. It is 44 km long and passes through nature scapes and historical sites.

One of the organizers' main goals is presenting an element of challenge for the athletes.

"That is why we have designed the route to start from zero altitude, to follow an overall upward slope of above 3,200 meters and pass under the peaks in the inaccessible and unpredictable paths," Aristidis Nikas, president of the board of Olympus Marathon said during a press conference.

The event aims to promote the natural beauty of Olympus as the athletes will pass through the Orlias canyon, dense vegetation, waterfalls, the alpine zone and then again through the gorge of the Enipeas River.

"The Olympus Marathon's limit is 10 hours, so a fit hiker can finish it. A very well fit man can do it in 7.5-8.5 hours. Our champion Dimitris Theodorikakos is doing it in 4.5 hours. It is something incredible," said Dimitris Andriopoulos, athlete and one of the sponsors of the marathon.

Theodorikakos has won the Olympus Marathon twice.

"Running on the mountain is the most authentic form of exercise and movement of man. The movement is not as structured as simple running. You have to overcome big altitude changes, soil anomalies, lack of adhesion and even fear of height that actually makes the route exciting," he said when asked about the challenges of the route.

His 22-year-old student, Glykeria, will participate in the marathon for the first time.

"I've been training with my coach at the mountains around Athens. I took part in different races in many Greek mountains and that is why I believe that I will be able to finish the marathon in a good physical condition," she said.

Many other sport and cultural events will take place in Litochoro during the Olympus Marathon. A total of 350 kids will attend the Children's Races Games. This year, for the first time, there will be a shorter race of 12 km through paths near the mountain.

As Olympus is home to 26 endemic plants, the new "Olympus paths" race each year will bear the name of one of them. The marathon has contributed to economic growth of the region of Pieria, while the ecological footprint of the event has been negligible. Endit