On a summer weekend, in terms of weather, and with a global aura, thanks to the participation of athletes from many other countries, the 9th edition of the Serifos Sunset Race was successfully implemented, on the island of Serifos.
The three days, September 22-24, were dedicated not only to sports activities, but also to culture. It included an introduction to traditional products and flavors of the island at the opening ceremony and a hiking route on one of the most beautiful paths, with the participation of executives from the Athanasios K. Laskaridis Charitable Foundation who spoke about the flora and fauna. The sports part started with children’s running races, with the participation of many children, and continued with the main competitive part: road races of 5 and 10 km, as well as swimming races of 750, 1,500 and 3,000 meters.
THE PROGRAM OF THE ORGANIZATION
The event started on Friday (22/9) with a welcome to all participants, in the square of Ano Chora, one of the most emblematic spots of Serifos and one of the most beautiful in the Cyclades. The event developed into a unique party, with music, dancing and lots of fun.
Saturday (23/9) started with a hike on one of the most beautiful routes of the island (Kallitsos – Chora), with a trail guide and the presence of a special scientific partner of the Athanasios K. Laskaridis Public Benefit Foundation, who contributed to the observation and recording of the flora . At the same time, the children’s “fun run” race was held and many children participated in Livadi, in two routes (500 and 1000 m.).
In the afternoon, the main event of the organization followed, with hundreds of runners participating in the 5 and 10 km road races, having the wild landscape of authentic beauty of the island on one side and the Aegean on the other, ending at sunset time on the beach of Vagia.
The winner of the 5km race, Giorgos Theologu, of SAFANS, who was the first to cut the finishing ribbon with a time of 23:20. At 10km, the winner was Savvas Spanoudis, of iRun, with a time of 43:21.
Among the women, the winner of the 5km event was Elli Kantouni-Lada with a time of 24:23. In the 10km, the golden winner was Jennifer Barbour, from the USA, with a time of 50:10.
On Sunday (24/9), in the bay of Livadi, the 750, 1,500 and 3,000 meter swimming races took place, with great participation and the presence of serious swimmers.
The first place in the 750m was won by Panagiotis Karras (11:25) among the men and Katerina Silviridou (15:18) among the women.
Themistocles Antonelos (23:01) finished first in the 1500m, while Katerina Louka (26:29) won the women’s gold medal.
In the 3,000m, an old acquaintance, Giorgos Firfilionis won his 5th gold medal in Serifos, with a time of 43:52. Among the women, the first place was won by the American Jennifer Barbour (54:01).
During and after the swimming competitions, a cleanup of Avlomona beach was carried out by the SeaChange Greek Islands team, with the participation of athletes and members of the Serifos Sunset Race organization, as well as island residents.
The awards of the swimming races and the end of the event took place on the beach of Avlomonas, in front of Calma Drinks & Bites, which hosted the entire organization of Sunday’s events.
The 9th Serifos Sunset Race was implemented in co-organization with the South Aegean Region and under the auspices of Serifos Municipality.
The Serifos Sunset Race has been laying a solid foundation in Serifos since 2013 until today, contributing to the promotion of sports and giving opportunities to green tourism development. The event, which lengthens the tourist season on the island and brings hundreds of people from all over Greece and abroad, was for one more year an ambassador of the SeaChange Greek Islands program, an initiative of the Athanasios K. Laskaridis Nonprofit Foundation for the protection of the marine environment and reducing pollution caused by single-use plastics.
For all of the above, Cyclades Member of Parliament and Deputy Minister of Education, Mr. Yiannis Vroutsis, praised the importance of the organization for the development of sports tourism, stressing the support of the Ministry in this effort.
Many thanks to the Event Sponsors Pende Serifos, Krinas Super Market and INDIGO, the Transport Sponsors Sea Jets, Aegean Sea Lines and Zante Ferries, the Supporters Natural Mineral Water MINOA, Yacht Club, INVU and Chill & Co., the Local Supporters Lepi Lepi , the building materials of I. Rambias, Fragosyko, Polyphimo, Tootsie, Farmakeio Fotiadis, Calma Drinks & Bites, the Athens Technology, the car rental offices Serifos Rent Me, Blue Bird and Serifosrental as well as the restaurants Tis Kalis, Thalami, Takis and Ahinos and all accommodations and hotels that hosted the members of the organization.
We also thank the Communication Sponsors of the event ERT3, ERT N. AEGAIOU, COSMOTE TV, Empneusi 107 fm, the sports portals and magazines iRunMag.gr, Running Magazine, Running News, Athletics Magazine, Runnfun.gr, Runntrail.gr as well as the local portals Cyclades24, SporCyclades24 and SportCyclades.
We owe a big thank you to the medical staff of the Serifos Multipurpose Regional Hospital who attended all the matches, to the lifeguards of the Life Guard Hellas organization and to the Serifos Port Authority.
Finally, the role of all the volunteers and partners who made the “9th Serifos Sunset Race” a reality was important.
We renew our appointment for September 2024 with the “10th Serifos Sunset Race” and new surprises.
RESULTS
Find all the results here: SERIFOS SUNSET RACE 2023 RESULTS
The first three in the general classification of each category:
RUN 5K – MEN
1. GIORGOS THEOLOGOU 00:23:20.276
2. ILIAS MALLIS 00:24:23.995
3. BRIGADIER KONTES 00:25:50.306
RUN 5K – WOMEN
1. ELLI KANTOUNI LADA 00:24:23.995
2. VIRNA KOUTLA 00:27:30.835
3. PHOEBI PAPEOANNOU 00:29:35.785
RUN 10K – MEN
1. SAVVAS SPANOUDIS 00:43:21.221
2. YIANNIS KARYOFYLLIS 00:45:11.105
3. MICHALIS KLADIS 00:48:07.295
RUN 10K – WOMEN
1. MS JENNIFER BARBOUR 00:50:10.415
2. ELENA KARATZA 00:53:53.915
3. EFROSYNI KREEMEZI (KOLOKOTSIOU) 00:57:33.345
SWIM 750M – MEN
1. PANAGIOTIS CARRAS 00:11:25.179
2. NIKITAS SIDIROPOULOS 00:12:01.809
3. THRASSOS GIKAS 00:13:57.397
SWIM 750M – WOMEN
1. KATERINA SILVIRIDOU 00:15:18.666
2. KONSTANTINA KAMATERI 00:15:34.297
3. MARIA GIANNIOTI 00:16:38.610
SWIM 1500M – MEN
1. THEMISTOKLIS ANTONELOS 00:23:01.446
2. GIORGOS ZOCHIOS 00:24:34.297
3. NIKOLAOS MOUSTAKAS 00:25:12.110
SWIM 1500M – WOMEN
1. BASILIKI LUKA 00:26:29.676
2. IRINI KALOUMENOU 00:28:53.016
3. CRYSTALLIA KALAHANI 00:29:14.226
SWIM 3000M – MEN
1. GIORGOS FIRFILIONIS 00:43:52.956
2. MICHALIS KLADIS 00:46:11.467
3. DIMITRIS SELOULIS 00:47:21.306
SWIM 3000M – WOMEN
1. JENNIFER BARBOUR MS 00:54:01.957
2. CHRISSY ATHANASOPOULOU 01:00:50.886
3. ANNA KOUMOULI 01:06:05.023
For more information:
• site: www.serifosrace.com
• facebook: https://www.facebook.com/serifosrace/
• instagram: https://www.instagram.com/serifosrace/
I am currently a news writer for News Bulletin247 where I mostly cover sports news. I have always been interested in writing and it is something I am very passionate about. In my spare time, I enjoy reading and spending time with my family and friends.
