20th anniversary of Alexander the Great Marathon

The 20th Anniversary International Marathon ALEXANDER THE GREAT – bwin on Sunday, April 26, left the most beautiful impressions on the champions who achieved great performances and on the total of 16,500 runners who created new registration records on the Marathon Course and the 10,000m Health Course, with an impressive increase of over 40% compared to last year!

With ideal weather conditions, exemplary organization, top-level racing support, and exceptionally designed routes, the “Marathon of History” offered the best conditions for great performances. The endurance road champions stood out with their performances, while all participants had the opportunity to claim and improve their personal records. This special celebration was completed in the best way by the presence of people from every social group and the parallel events, which thrilled children and adults.

Runners of all ages and levels, from 9-year-old elementary school students to 84-year-old Dimitris Angelidakis and Nerantzoula Petrakis who finished in the 5,000m Race, as well as 79-year-old Pavlos Basdekis and 71-year-old Stavroula Papavassiliou who covered the 42.195 km of the Marathon course with enviable endurance, as well as runners with disabilities, experienced the joy of participation and personal victory in the heart of Thessaloniki!

The global dimension of the event was captured this year in a more impressive way than ever before, through the presence of runners from 72 countries and five continents, even from distant places such as Hong Kong, Comoros, Costa Rica and Liberia, creating a new record of foreign participation and breaking the corresponding performance of last year of participation from 71 countries!

In the Marathon road, which was accompanied by a new record of registrations, the winners in the Men’s and Women’s categories had the special honor of cutting the same ribbon that had been used by the organizers in the first ALEXANDER THE GREAT International Marathon, exactly 20 years ago. At the finish line, they were welcomed by the iconic Maria Polyzou, the event’s Development Director and holder of the Panhellenic Women’s Marathon record since 1998, making the moment even more special!

In the Men’s category, Dimitris Linardos prevailed, who crossed the finish line arch on Alexander the Great Avenue, at the height of the Statue of the Macedonian Soldier, with an excellent time of 2 hours 26:14. Last year’s winner Giorgos Menis finished second with a time of 2 hours 27:27, while Nikos Kakouris completed the top three with 2 hours 31:46.

“It was a very nice experience, everything was perfect! The people helped us a lot, as did the volunteers. The Organizing Committee has arranged everything perfectly and we thank them for giving us the opportunity to do what we love. During the race, everything went well, I was waiting for the moment to make the change, to come out ahead and win”, said Dimitris Linardos after his victory. In the women’s Marathon, Georgia Kanouta was the winner with a time of 2 hours 48:18, ahead of Denise Dimaki (2 hours 53:51), who climbed to the winners’ podium for the third consecutive year (she was 1st in 2025 and 2nd in 2024), while the trio was completed by Triantafyllia Kapeti (3 hours 07:15).

“The route was very nice, it was ideal for a record! It was a little hot, but just right. Everything was wonderful and I always enjoy running here,” said the winner of the women’s category, Georgia Kanouta.

The start of the race, at the Statue of Alexander the Great in the central square of Pella, was given by the Mayor of Pella, Efstathios Fountoukidis, and the President of the Municipal Community of Pella, Dimitris Markopoulos.

To support the Marathoners, there were six official Pacers with significant contributions to the running movement and significant distinctions from time to time, Giannis Krekas, Agamemnon Kotsifakis, Tigran Sagatelian, Vasiliki Karageorgaki, Giorgos Savvidis and Elias Tsaparelis, who kindly offered to support the efforts of the participating Marathon runners, aiming for times of 3:00, 3:15, 3:30, 3:45, 4:00 and 4:15 hours, helping them achieve their personal goals.