Athletes race to 2,365-meter-high summit of Mount Tahtalı

ANTALYA – Demirören News Agency

Runners from all over the world assembled in the Mediterranean province of Antalya for the much-awaited Corendon Airlines Tahtalı Run to Sky competition held between May 13 and 15.

Some 618 athletes from 18 countries participated in the running event, which started at sea levels and ended at the 2,365-meter-high summit of Mount Tahtalı.

The competition included four challenging stages: Tahtalı Ultra Sky, Berg Sky Race, Run to Sky Race and KemeRun.

Kaan Tuna won the race after a struggle with formidable and changing weather conditions on the outskirts of Mount Tahtalı, also known as Olympus in Greek mythology, marking the first win of his skyrunning career.

Aleksandr Strukov won the Berg Sky Race, a 65-kilometer-long race with an elevation gain of 4,300 meters, giving a magnificent view of Mount Tahtalı and its surrounding nature.

Zülfü Karabulut came first in the Run to Sky race. Starting from one of the 10 most beautiful beaches in the world, Çıralı beach, it is a 27-kilometer-long stage with an elevation gain of 2,650 meters. At the same time, the women’s track record was broken by Russian athlete Ekaterina Ryazanova, running 27 kilometers in under four hours.

The KemeRun stage, added only this year to the competition, is a 12-kilometer-long race with an elevation gain of 400 meters. Giving a chance to see the unparalleled natural beauties, history and culture of Kemer, Mustafa Çınar and Hülya Kıvrak came first in the KemeRun stage of the competition.

The competition, sponsored by Corendon Airlines, was organized in cooperation with the Kemer Municipality, Youth and Sports Ministry, Antalya Governor’s Office, Kemer Governor’s Office, the Antalya Metropolitan Municipality, the Turkish Athletics Federation and the Beydağları Beach National Park.