Record participation in the 3rd “Santorini Experience” event

ATHENS – With 40 countries represented and record-breaking participation in running and swimming “Santorini Experience” was completed with great success for a 3rd consecutive year, on the enchanting island of the Cyclades. The top sports tourism event in Greece, with a TV broadcast in 87 countries through the FOX Sports TV network, had more than 1,500 participations this year.

“Santorini Experience” is officially the event of the Hellenic Swimming Federation (having been held under its auspices for the second year in a row) with the most popularity abroad, for amateur and professional athletes in Greece, while in running it follows the events organized by the Hellenic Athletics Federation (SEGAS) such as the Athens Marathon.

At the same time, foreign participations surpassed every precedent, as athletes from around 40 countries were “hosted” in Santorini. The attendance was extremely high from Australia, UK, Germany, France, USA, Canada, China, Russia, New Zealand, South Africa, Singapore, and Hong Kong.

The Hungarian swimmer Attila Manyoki, the renowned athlete in open water swimming and a member of the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame (IMSHOF), took part in the event for the first time. The presence of swimmers was dynamic with top professional athletes such as the Greek open water champion Kelly Araouzou and members of the Greek national team, Antonis Fokaidis, Giorgos Arniakos, and Dimitris Negris. In addition, for the first time in an open water swimming race, more than 10 Greek champions took part.

In Santorini, the new young Greek leading open water swimmers are following in the footsteps of Spyros Gianniotis (who swam in Santorini in 2015 and 2016) under the instructions of the federal coach Nikos Gemelos.

The technical director of the swimming race not only applied the new 1.1 mile open water swimming route (from Skaros to the old port of Fira) on Sunday morning, due to the difficult weather conditions, but also supervised its conduct so that everything would be done in accordance with the regulations of FINA and the Hellenic Swimming Federation. Swimmers started in groups and not all together, following all safety rules.

Of course, there were 50 specialized escorts in the water who contributed, with the assistance of Lifeguard Patrol, which also had several lifeguard boats, the people from Santorini who helped with their own boats, the Voluntary Lifeguards of Santorini, Atlantis Dive Center and above all Santorini Boatmen Union that transferred and protected the organization of the open water swimming.

The traditional sweet of Santorini, melitinia (offered by Manos Pastry Shop) as well as seasonal fruits were offered to the swimmers after the end of their race.

For the first time in a sports event in Greece, Samsung as the official technology partner was present with its innovative services through the Samsung Galaxy ecosystem. The Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+, combined with the Gear 360 camera and Gear VR, enrich the experience of those attending and watching the event with unique content at 360 degrees.

The award-winning event did not stop its innovation here. The GoPro 6 action camera was first used in Greece, with its simultaneous arrival at a world premiere. The GoPro HERO6 Black, with its breathtaking analysis and waterproof design, has especially helped in having the best and most impressive shots in the swimming and running activities.

Hundreds of athletes were present in the running routes. The runners participated in the 5km “Aristides Alafouzos”, 10 km and 15 km running routes, having as a background the volcano overlooking the Caldera and passing through the settlements of Imerovigli, Firostefani, and Oia. The 5km route took this year’s name “Aristides Alafouzos” in memory of the great benefactor of the island. Indeed, the nephew of the late Alafouzos, Mr. Giannis Haidemenos, said after the starting signal he gave together with the Mayor of Santorini, Nikos Zorzos, on the 5km route: “I am very pleased because the effort made by Aristides Alafouzos is justified, being a sponsor in the whole island of Santorini all these years. It is a great honor for us and very important that this race takes place in his memory.”

Excitement was spread to the young children at the 1km running race held on Friday, October 6th, with the support of Vikos, at Panthiraikos Stadium in Fira, with the presence of the Olympic and World Champion at 400m. with hurdles Periklis Iakovakis (who ran also the 5km) and Greek-American ultramarathon Dean Karnazes, who participated in the 5km and 15 km running races, while he signed his latest book at Alafouzos Sport store (sponsor of the event) in Fira. TaeKwonDo lessons were conducted to advanced and amateur athletes by the twice silver Olympic medalist Alexandros Nikolaidis, while the warm-up of the athletes in running was undertaken by the pilates instructor Mandy Perskaki.

Participating athletes traveled to “Santorini Experience” with the official airline partner of the event, Ryanair that offered the possibility of connecting Athens with Santorini with direct flights from 13 cities abroad. The leading Greek shipping company Blue Star Ferries, as a sponsor of the event, facilitated the ferry transfer by offering a 50% discount on the ferry tickets and vehicles of the participants, assisting the travel of Greek and foreign athletes.

“Santorini Experience” took place under the auspices of the Greek National Tourism Organization and the Hellenic Swimming Federation with the co-organization of the Municipality of Santorini, DAPPOS and Active Media Group.