The Saucony Troy Half Marathon, organized by Çanakkale Municipality for the first time this year, was held with great excitement with the participation of more than two thousand athletes on Sunday, April 20. This first marathon held in the city center provided unforgettable moments for athletes and spectators.
The Excitement of Running on a Track Where History and Nature Are Intertwined
The Saucony Troya Half Marathon, which was realized with the title sponsorship of Saucony and the main sponsorship of SPX, was organized in four different categories as 21K, 10K, 6K and Children's Run with the contributions of local supporters such as Dardanel and Uysal Market. More than two thousand athletes and running enthusiasts from 7 countries and 40 cities, running on a special course where the historical texture and natural beauties of Çanakkale intertwined, turned the city into a festival area.
President Erkek Also Shared the Marathon Excitement
The marathon hosted by Çanakkale Mayor Muharrem Erkek was attended by important names such as CHP Çanakkale Deputy İsmet Güneşhan, Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University President Prof. Dr. Cüneyt Erenoğlu, Çanakkale Youth and Sports Provincial Director Ömer Kalkan, Çanakkale Wars Gallipoli Historical Site President İsmail Kaşdemir and Dardanel Önentaş A.Ş. Founder and Chairman of the Board Niyazi Önen. While many Çanakkale residents and guests from out of town followed the marathon with interest, Mayor Muharrem Erkek also participated in the 10K run and shared the excitement of the marathon.
Awards were presented to the winners
In the marathon that started in front of the Kordon Trojan Horse and continued in the city center, athletes who won in different categories put up a great fight. In the 21K Men's category, Mestan Turhan came in first, Yunus Emre Akkuş came in second and Bahattin Üney came in third, while in the 21K Women's category, Pınar Demir came in first, Fatma Arık came in second and Özge Çolak came in third. In the 10K Men's category, Mert Selek came in first, Hakan Çoban came in second and Emre Karatepe came in third. In the 10K Women's category, Berfin Kaya came in first, Meryem Kılınç Gündoğdu came in second and Özlem Işık came in third. In the 6K Men's category, Ahmet Tek came in first, Tahir Erdemir came in second and Eren Özemre came in third, while in the 6K Women's category, Esra Taşdemir came in first, Sibel Öztürk came in second and Elena Göksu came in third, and the names that successfully completed the marathon were the names. While the little athletes had an enjoyable race experience on the 500-meter track on the Kordon, the children who successfully completed their stages were honored with medals and awards. After the marathon, an awards ceremony was held for the winning runners.
President Erkek: “We Want to Make the Marathon a Traditional”
Making statements about the organization, Mayor Muharrem Erkek expressed his pleasure in hosting this meaningful event where Troy’s thousands of years of history meets the unifying power of sports. Mayor Erkek stated that they were happy with the great interest shown in the first year of the Saucony Troy Half Marathon and said, “I would like to thank all the participants who were with us on this special day, those who contributed and everyone who made the organization possible with their support. We wish for the Saucony Troy Half Marathon to become a strong tradition that brings together the sports, culture and nature heritage of Çanakkale and we want to bring sports fans together with history and nature in the coming years.” Mayor Erkek emphasized that work will be done in the coming years to turn the organization into a full marathon. SPX CEO Barış Andırınlı expressed his pride in being a part of the event and stated that such high participation shows how strong the interest in running and sports is.
A Weekend Like a Festival
In addition to the marathon, various events were organized in the city center on Saturday, April 19th to create an enthusiastic atmosphere before the marathon. Many activities were held in the event area set up in front of the Trojan Horse, such as DJ performances, GiBoard Challenge, SPX Pickleball Workshop, HYROX Turkey Challenge, Sweaty Betty Yoga Workshop and Shake Out-City is Yours Run. Mayor Muharrem Erkek also visited the event area and met with the participants. The Saucony Troya Half Marathon, which was full of both race stages and colorful events, provided an unforgettable weekend where sports, dance, music and entertainment were blended with the historical and natural beauties of Çanakkale.
