20May

Press Release – Koziakas Trail 2026

The 3rd Koziakas Trail concluded with great success, leaving athletes and visitors with the best impressions and confirming that the race has established itself as one of the most important mountain running events in Greece.

A race inspired and organized by local people, driven by a love for the mountain and a genuine goal of showcasing the area and its natural beauty. The Koziakas Trail is dedicated to the conservation of the Egyptian vulture, the symbol of the race, and is held in collaboration with the Hellenic Ornithological Society.

This year’s event maintained high participation levels while expanding its parallel activities, creating a successful two-day program of actions and events. The goal of a two-day presence of athletes and visitors was achieved, further elevating the level of the event and highlighting the Koziakas Trail as one of the highest-quality sporting events in the country, especially considering the challenging economic conditions of the time.

The feedback and impressions from the athletes and their companions were more than positive, confirming the quality of the event. At the same time, its reach on social media set a new record for views and engagement, surpassing every previous year.

The Koziakas Trail has now become an established institution for the mountainous region of the Trikala Regional Unit, contributing significantly both to the development of mountain sports and to the tourism promotion of the area.

The organizing committee is particularly pleased to have succeeded in realizing the vision of a major race on the beautiful Koziakas mountain, leaving athletes and visitors impressed by the natural beauty of the landscape and the overall experience of the event. The goal of developing the Koziakas Trail into one of the region’s largest sporting events appears to be steadily becoming a reality year by year, through consistent work, professionalism, and collective effort.

A particularly important part of this year’s event was the Saturday program of activities, which included traditional food for all athletes, nature-based games for children, a yoga session, woodcarving, a technical briefing for athletes and volunteers, as well as talks on the conservation of the Egyptian vulture and the serious issue of uncontrolled renewable energy developments in our region.

For their contribution to these activities, we warmly thank:

  • the President of the Elati Community, Konstantinos Brizis, and all the volunteers for the preparation of the food,
  • Anthi Green Yoga for the excellent yoga activity,
  • the woodcarver Angelos Patsiantzis for the unique works he created,
  • the environmentalist Eleni Makrygianni for the design and implementation of the activities for children,
  • as well as the representatives of the “Living Aspropotamos” network for providing information on the issue of renewable energy developments.

We would like to sincerely thank all the athletes who honored us with their presence and to promise them that the next event will be even better, with more activities and new surprises.

We warmly thank the Trikala Regional Unit and its Department of Sports, the Municipality of Pyli, the Trikala Chamber of Commerce, the Pyli–Meteora Geopark, and e-Trikala for their financial and material support of the event.

Special mention should be made of our friend and race sponsor, Nikos Charalampidis, for his sponsorship of €2,000, which was awarded as prize money to the top male and female finishers of the 25-kilometer race.

A big thank you to the two gold sponsors of the event:

  • KATAFYGIO Hotel in Elati
  • and Peak Store Georgiadis.

We would also like to thank all the major sponsors of the race, who, through their products and services, made a significant contribution to the supply of the aid stations and the finish line:

Oreades Hotel, Olympus Dairy Industry, TRIKKI Milk Factory, Matis Cheese & Halva Factory, PROTEAS Bars, Kary Nuts, Vakis Loukoumia, Trikalini Zymi, Papanastasiou Taverna, Theoni Water, and Thessaly Cooperative Bank.

We would also like to thank all the local businesses that supported the event financially and materially: CHIONODROMIKO KENTRO PERTULIOU, hotel GIAMANDES, hotel LIGERI, hotel MIKRI ARKOS, hotel BAKOU, hotel PAPAPANAGIOTOU, hotel ARCHONTIKO CHANTZIGAKI, hotel PAPANASTASIOU, hotel KROUPI, guesthouse PATRIKO, accommodations MOUNTAIN INN, hotel ARCHONTIKO TSIMPONI, hotel TA PETRINA TIS ELATIS, guesthouse THEODOROU, guesthouse FRETZATO, guesthouse TO GIATAKI, rooms VILLA PALAS, rooms PANORAMA ELATIS, restaurant PANSELINOS, taverna ANAVRYSOULA, taverna TA KANAVIA, taverna O LAGOS, taverna ENTEKA, restaurant ARKOUDOTRYPA, restaurant TO ANOGI, restaurant AMERICANA, taverna MARGARITIS, café KRYPTI, café IDYGEFSTON, café LAGOS, café DISTRATO, folk art shop TO ENTHYMION, Elati Pharmacy NTELA ELENI, grocery store I EFI, outdoor activities PINDUS NOMADS, web services ARTIFICIAL SYSTEMS, pharmacy TSIOUTSIAS, children’s store PEPERINO, store XPRO SHOP, car parts VITAS, car dealership KAROUTAS, technical office PISPAS-BARDAS, beverage trade and distribution PROMITHEAS, hair salon ASSI, plumbing VLISSARIS, sanitary goods KARAGOUNIS, eggs BALOMENOS, gels MAURTEN, and TSIKELI BOUTIQUE HOTEL.

Special thanks to Katafygio Koziaka and to Periklis Mitronasios for their significant assistance in staffing the aid station and for their overall presence on the mountain.

Warm thanks also to:

  • Trikala Forestry Department and the Pertouli Forestry Department,
  • OFYPEKA,
  • EKAB (National Emergency Aid Center))
  • as well as the Police Departments of Pyli and Trikala for their significant contribution to traffic management and the safe conduct of the race.

We also thank the media sponsors ERT3 and the Trikala Radio Club.

Finally, a huge thank you to all the volunteers, without whom the Koziakas Trail could not take place. To the people of the village who staffed the aid stations and supported the event with motorcycles, cars, and 4×4 vehicles; to the event photographers; to the mountaineering clubs SOXT and SPORT; to OPOP for accompanying the last athletes; as well as to MOLET for staffing the ski center station.

Special mention should be made of the Hellenic Rescue Team (EOD Trikala), which played a crucial role in managing the race’s safety, with a presence at four different locations.

We would also like to thank:

  • the Women’s Association of Elati,
  • the Trikala Runners Club,
  • the Mountain Guides of SAEK Trikala,
  • the Gomfoi Trail team for their help in staffing an aid station, as well as Kostas Karagiannis for his valuable presence at the microphone and in the race secretariat.

WITHOUT ALL OF THE ABOVE, THE RACE COULD NOT HAVE BEEN SUCCESSFULLY HELD.

On behalf of the Association of Professionals of the Mountain Region of the Trikala Regional Unit “Xenios Zeus”

and the organizing committee of the KOZIAKAS TRAIL