Kosmocar-Volkswagen was the Grand Sponsor of the 14th International Marathon "Alexander the Great", which took place in Thessaloniki, on Sunday 14 April. The biggest celebration of sport in Northern Greece gave once again a lot of fun and intense emotions to 20,000 people, who experienced a great sporting event.
Kosmocar-Volkswagen supported the most important spring sporting event of the capital city by providing Volkswagen models to the organizers. The electric e-Golf in white was used as the timing vehicle for the race. Silent and zero emission, with a range of up to 300 kilometres, the e-Golf was the ideal precursor of the race.
The race coincided with the launch of Volkswagen's new compact SUV, the T-Cross. The occasion was unique and thousands of people had the opportunity to get to know the model in person and learn about its unique features and rich, hi-tech equipment.
Kosmocar-Volkswagen, in addition to its sponsorship, was actively involved in both the Marathon and the parallel races that were organized, with its own team of runners, the "Volkswagen Running Team". The team was made up of friends of the brand as well as employees of Kosmocar and its Authorized Dealer Network. The Volkswagen Running Team in this year's event participated with 380(!) runners, who enjoyed every moment of the races. In fact, in the 42.195 km marathon race, Michalis Parmakis, an athlete of the team, triumphed, crossing the finish arch at the Great Alexandrou Avenue, at the height of the Statue of the Macedonian soldier, with a time of 2 hours 33:21, repeating his success of 2017, even though he was competing with a pulled leg and made an extra effort to cover the distance.
An athlete of the Volkswagen Running Team won the women's marathon. As in 2017, the gold medal was won by Sonia Tsekini-Boudouri, with a time of 2 hours 48:13.
The Thessaloniki International Marathon has become an institution, with the 14th race of the series surpassing all previous ones in terms of organizational excellence and racing interest, thanks to the impressive parallel events that were set up in the heart of the city.
The "Marathon of History", as it is called, was once again worthy of expectations and gave the joy of participation and personal victory to people of all ages, from 9-year-old elementary school students to the 86-year-old Stefanos Ioannidis who ran the 5,000m race, as well as to people with disabilities, who won the applause and admiration of fans and spectators.
Runners from five continents and 51 countries participated in this year's event, coming from as far afield as Zimbabwe, Chinese Taipei, the Bahamas and Uzbekistan. Among them is the Spanish legend Santiago Itos Olivera, who holds the record for marathon participation in his country, reaching 293 completed races in Thessaloniki, 68-year-old Irishman Jerry Ford, who defied his congenital disability to participate for the 445th time in a marathon with a wheelchair, and deaf Belarusian endurance champion Olga Rachauchova, who also completed the 42nd marathon.195 km and even excelled, finishing in fourth place.
