“We aim to give the city an event of high caliber. Our goal is to make it more massive, more qualitative, and more attractive in the coming years.” These phrases from the publisher of “PELOPONNISOS”, Theodoros Louloudis, encapsulate the message he wants to convey to everyone about the 2nd Patras Half Marathon, which will take place on Sunday, April 7th. Also reflected is the vision of the organizers for an event that will bring benefits to the city and its citizens, with a strong social impact.
The official presentation of the 2nd Patras Half Marathon took place through a joint press conference given by the A.O. PELOPS club and the newspaper PELOPONNΙSOS at the My Way Hotel & Events.
Present at the event were the Deputy Regional Governor, Charalambos Bonanos, the Deputy Mayor of Sports, Takis Petropoulos, the publisher of the newspaper “Peloponnisos” and candidate president of the Chamber of Commerce, Theodoros Louloudis, the technical director of the race, Nikos Polias, the president of A.O. Pelops, George Kaouris, the technical advisor of the Regional Athletic Association of Western Greece, Kostas Bousias, and the head of the Public Relations and Media Information Office of the General Police Directorate of Western Greece, Ignatios Triantafyllou.
Among other things, they emphasized the following:
Charalambos Bonanos: “We are a few hours away from the great celebration of the city. We need such events. Beyond their developmental character, I call on all fellow citizens to embrace the spirit of movement, to start running, and to enjoy the benefits of exercise. There has been a level of professionalism in the preparation of the race that I have not seen in other events, and I must emphasize that.”
Takis Petropoulos: “We consider this event to be of high caliber, like those organized in Patras in recent years. In order for our city to rise, infrastructure needs to be improved. Patras has a tradition in the running movement, and it continues.”
George Kaouris: “We are happy to participate for the second consecutive year in promoting the benefits of sports through the race. We welcome all athletes to our city.”
Theodoros Louloudis: “In recent years, our organization’s role has expanded with activities that have a broader impact on the city and the region. We are once again organizing the regional development conference this year, and a year ago we started the Half Marathon. Last year we designed a race with characteristics that will take time to complete. We aim to give the city an event of high caliber. What makes me happy is that we are making progress on all levels. We are striving to make a high-quality race that will be massive and international in the coming years.”
Nikos Polias: “The goals we set regarding the numerical aspect and communication have been achieved. The athletes who participated last year were the best ambassadors of the race, and this year even more will convey the message. This year there will be live online streaming from our YouTube channel, runners will be informed via SMS about their time when they finish, and we will have other surprises. We are ready for another successful race.”
Kostas Bousias: “Congratulations to Pelops and the newspaper Peloponnisos. The Regional Athletic Association supports every effort of its members, and we stand by the organizers in whatever they need.”
Ignatios Triantafyllou: “Traffic control will be managed by the Traffic Police. We always support these initiatives, especially when they have social benefits. The first thing I asked was how many children will participate, and I was very pleased when they told me that 800 kids will run. There will be traffic officers everywhere, and when the runners finish, the roads will be immediately reopened.”