A race along the Lycian Way from Adrasan to Tekirova
I had been aware that there was a Lycian Way ultra marathon. The event had been taking place for a number of years previously. It had been on the western section of the route a few years ago. I know this because I was hiking with a group of guests who came across runners on the route. This year I decided that I was going to take part.
The Lycian Way ultra marathon is divided up into different sections. The race lengths are 20 km, 37 km, 57 km, and 100 km. This year the races were taking place on the eastern section of The Lycian Way route. The longest race starts from Finike and runs past Karaoz, Kumluca, Gelidonia Lighthouse, Adrasan, Mount Musa, Olympus ruins, Cirali, Ulupinar, and finally finishes in Tekirova.
The race I chose to do was the 37km. The route starts in Adrasan, climbs over Mount Musa, past Olympus ancient ruins, to Cirali, and finally finishes in Tekirova.
The start over Mount Musa was a 750-meter climb. It was a tough start but I did have an advantage. I had hiked this part of The Lycian Way route on more than one occasion. The descent was good fun and the ruins at Olympus are very impressive. Cirali is a very pretty town on the coast with a long beach. Much of the rest of the route ran along the coast. We enjoyed wonderful sea views and some beautiful small bays and beaches.
I ran with a couple of friends who are more experienced runners. We all agreed that it was a wonderful experience. It took me just over 7 hours to complete the 37 km section and in the end, I was very pleased to see the finish line! We were all presented with medals and made to feel very welcome by the noise at the finish.
Here is the link to the official website of The Lycian Way Ultra Marathon:
https://www.likyayoluultramaratonu.com/EN/
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