More than 450 runners took part in the 2011 Cyprus Marathon (Marathon, Half Marathon and 10km Road Race) which was organised successfully on Sunday 13th March 2011. The Marathon course started from Petra tou Romiou (Birthplace of Aphrodite goddess of love and beauty) and finished at the Pafos Mediaeval Fort Square. The other two races (Half Marathon & 10 km Road Race) started and finished at the Pafos Mediaeval Fort Square. The events were successfully organized by NIKI Sports Management. The Marathon departed at 8:30 a.m. followed by the Half Marathon at 9:15 a.m. and the 10km at 9:30 a.m.
The number of runners that participated indicated the big impact of the event, as most of the runners came from abroad, especially to participate in the event. There were runners from more than 30 different countries such as England, Germany, Ireland, Scotland, France, Italy, Spain, Hungary, Austria, Belgium, The Netherlands, Poland, Switzerland, Denmark, Lebanon, Dubai, Hong Kong, Japan, Russia, Scotland, USA, Canada, New Zeland, Australia, Gambia, Nepal, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Greece and Cyprus. There were also quite a few runners who participated in the Marathon to raise money for charities.
The Hungarian runner Gabor Szabo won the 2011 Cyprus Marathon in a time 2:44:07. The Belgian runner Erik Daems was second in 3:00:41. The German lady Silvia Schmied was first in the women category with a time 3:26:00. The Swiss runner Pierre Fournier with a time of 1:16:31 won the Cyprus Half Marathon with Hungarian runner Szabolcs Beda in second place with a time of 1:16:58. The Bulgarian lady Emilia Hristova won the ladies race with the time of 1:37:39. Second lady in the Half Marathon distance was British lady Sarah Clayton clocking 1:41:38. The male winner of the Cyprus 10km Road Race was Saad Regragui from Dro Me A Racing with a time of 34:47 and the female winner was British lady Julia Tully with the time 42:40.
Each participant who finished the Cyprus Marathon 2011 was given a quality, commemorative T-shirt (sponsored from PSA Autoline – Panicos Socratous) and a medal. Awards were given to the first three runners in each of the 48 age group categories. After the races the Organisers offered to all participants ample quantities of seasonal fruit, beer, orange juices, electrolytes and mineral water. The runners and spectators were entertained with traditional Cypriot and Greek dancing from the Dance Group ‘Chorevtiko Schima to Kastro’. It was a real running festival! Race results for all three races can be viewed in the Web site http://www.cyprusmarathon.com/results11.htm Race photos can be ordered from Fotokinisi (Tel: 26938635, Web site http://www.fotokinisi.com/ )
All in all the city of Pafos produced a spectacular event that heralded not just a few but hundreds of winners. As the many finishers exited Pafos Mediaeval Fort square an overwhelming sense of achievement radiated from the Fort. The Organisers of the Cyprus Marathon 2011 express their sincere thanks to all the sponsors of the race and to the numerous race marshals. The Cyprus Marathon was sponsored from Cyprus Tourism Organisation, Constantinou Bros Hotels, Constantinou Bros Developers, PSA Autoline, Cyprus Airways, PrimeTel PLC, Tell-Me-First (Hyperkewl – Cooling product range), Laser Graphics Ltd, Pafos Municipality and FOTOKINISI. NIKI sports Management would like to thank each and every one who was involved, in any capacity, in this, the running of the Cyprus Marathon 2011.
Happy running,
Stavros Kakourides
Race Director
P. O. Box 12063
2340 Lakatamia, CYPRUS
Tel: +357 22370396, Mobile: +357 99436826
Web site: www.cyprusmarathon.com
E-mail: [email protected]
E-mail: [email protected]