The Foundations
It all started way before the first Cyprus Marathon in 1999. The Race Director and founder of the Cyprus Marathon, Stavros Kakourides, was a keen runner since he was 20 years of age and organised the first Charity Marathon race in Cyprus in 1987 raising more than £2,700. His passion for running led him to co-found and lead, as a President, the first ever running club in Cyprus from 1988 till 1994. He organised more than 50 running events and ran 3 Marathons before setting out to organise the 1st International Marathon of Cyprus.
The Race Director running the first Charity Marathon in Cyprus in 1987
The main idea for the Marathon was to not only showcase some of the major landmarks of the city of Pafos; but to also offer the opportunity to enjoy a wonderful and traditional entertainment. Other than the 3 more races that were organised alongside the Marathon which include a Half-Marathon, a 10km Road Race as well as a 4km Fun Run, a lot of side-events were organised as well. Those included a Mayor’s Breakfast Run, Pasta Dinner the night before the race, Post-event Dinner Party as well as a Village run 2 days after the Marathon!
Before the Mayor’s Breakfast Run in 1999
It was up until 2008 and after the 10th edition of the Marathon that the Organising Committee decided to stop all the side events and focus all efforts at organising a world class Marathon (including a Half-Marathon and a 10km Race). This lead to the introduction of finish line festivities, such as free beer at the finish line and the prize award ceremony at the end of all 3 races! In 2016 the 5km Fun Run was also added with the co-operation of Pafos2017 (European Capital of Culture Organisation).
The Unique Characteristics
- – Packed Bundle: A packed bundle including a technical t-shirt, finisher’s medal, fluid stations every 3 km (water, electrolytes, energy gels, sponges & bananas), finish line massage, podiatrists and doctors throughout the course, fruit, water, juices and free beer at the finish line.
- – Weather: The Mediterranean climate allows the Logicom Cyprus Marathon to be one of the first Marathons of the “spring season” due to its favourable temperatures.
- – Picturesque Scenery/European Capital of Culture: Aphrodite’s Birthplace, Archaeological Park (Mosaics from Romans), 12 Blue flag Beaches, Wineries, Monasteries and Golf Courses.
- – Electric Atmosphere: Due to its picturesque finish line venue (Pafos Medieval Fort Square) it has the flavour of history, culture and tradition.
- – Planning & Organisation: One of the strongest points of the event is the organisation and the set-up of all the service points including the Marathon Expo, the fluid stations, the signage, the race marshals and the finish line!
More details for each race: Marathon – Half-Marathon – 10km Road Race – 5km Fun Run
The Registration/Information office in 1999
Why Pafos?
The European Capital of Culture 2017, Pafos, with its beautiful countryside, historic sights as well as being a cosmopolitan resort with more than 200 hotels, is the ideal location to host such a multi-cultural event. The numbers reinforce the multi-cultural quality of the Logicom Cyprus Marathon with around 45% of the participants coming from abroad. Specifically, 1 in 4 runners (25%) comes from the United Kingdom with the other 20% coming from other countries such as Germany, Poland, Russia, France, Italy and Greece.
Related: Places to visit in Pafos
The new era
The Logicom Cyprus Marathon needed a breath of fresh air. This was achieved with the introduction of George Kakourides in 2014 who took over the Marketing element of the event as well as being in charge of the finish line operations. After finishing his studies in Sports Management in 2012 and finishing his first Marathon in Athens 2015, he was able to revamp the whole event. His push for new sponsors and partners brought in the needed resources to improve the already attractive package of products and services for each runner (inc. technical t-shirt, wonderful medals, chip timing, energy gels, finish line massage and many more). The new branding of the Logicom Cyprus Marathon, including a more powerful and active social media presence, new logo and new website meant that we could reach many more Marathon enthusiasts around the world and increase the participation. The event has also been transforming to a more social event, with the introduction of a 5km Fun Run in 2016, to include people from all walks of life and promote the great benefits of sports and participation.
There has been a 75% growth in participation each year in 2015 and 2016 and a 45% growth in 2017.
The future
The next Logicom Cyprus Marathon will be organised on 4th March 2018. It will be the 20th edition of this historic Marathon and the biggest and best one yet! The celebrations for the 20th edition are sure to attract more runners, more enjoyment and more fun at the next event.
For the record: The Marathon winners
2000 – Pandelis Kambaxis – GRE – 2:47:03 h
2001 – Yiannakis Demetriou – CYP – 2:55:26 h
2002 – Pol Dekeirel – BEL – 2:48:58 h
2003 – Allan Fotheringham – UK – 2:54:55 h
2004 – Ditier Pomey – FRA – 2:52:41 h
2005 – Salameh Al Aqra – JOR – 2:33:03 h – Course Record
2006 – Andrzej Magier – POL – 2:52:01 h
2007 – Salameh Al Aqra – JOR – 2:41:07 h
2008 – Al Sheith Khaled – JOR – 2:56:15 h
2009 – Mark Werner – USA – 2:56:26 h
2010 – Joe Cawley – IRE – 2:51:22 h
2011 – Gabor Szabo – HUN – 2:44:07 h
2012 – Slim Samer – LEB – 2:55:47 h
2013 – Raphael Igrişianu – ROM – 2:44:50 h
2014 – Raphael Igrişianu – ROM – 2:48:20 h
2015 – Magnus Gödiker – GER – 2:45:39 h
2016 – Jose Ramon Torres Peanilla– SPA – 2:47:16 h
2017 – Liviu Croitoru – MOL – 2:36:18 h
2018 – Adam Holland – UK – 2:46:14 h
2019 – Adam Holland – UK – 2:35:03 h
