Croatia has a proud sporting tradition, whose sporting success on the global stage is much greater than one would expect from a relatively small country. It also hosts many excellent sporting events, but few can be more demanding than the race which takes place on the last weekend in August in Stari Grad, the 16km open water swim known as the Faros Marathon. It is a fascinating spectactle, as the swimmers drop into the water in Stari Grad’s pretty harbour, then swim 8km to the mouth of the Stari Grad bay, before returning to the town. There are male and female competitors from all over the world, with the winning time usually just over 3 hours. It is a great weekend to be in Stari Grad, and there is quite a party afterwards. More on the marathon from the organisers via Wikipedia below. This year’s event takes place on August 26.
The Faros Maratón Swim is also the annual Croatian International Long Distance Swimming Championships, a 16-kilometer race from Stari Grad to Faros, Croatia. It is organized by the Croatian Long Distance Swimming Federation that was inducted into the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame as an Honour Organisation in 2012. The competition has developed over the last 40 years from a small provincial marathon swim into a world-class event drawing the international elite. The professional race is 16 kilometers in the sea of Stari Grad Bay on Hvar Island and takes place in the last week of August. 1,122 athletes from 42 countries have taken part in this international celebration of marathon endurance that one of the leading sports events in Croatia. Previously known as the Yugoslav International Long Distance Swimming Championships, the Faros Maratón was the only international event to continue in Croatia through the 1991-1995 war.
Faros Maratón is a part of the World Swimming Majors and is one of the World’s Top 100 Open Water Swims.
Top marathon swimmers from Albania, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, the Dominican Republic, Egypt, France, Great Britain, Germany, Greece, Hungary, India, Italy, Macedonia, Malta, Mexico, Montenegro, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Russia, Scotland, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Turkey, the U.S.A. and Wales have participated in the international event.
To learn more about the Faros Marathon, click here.
