- 5th Zygaktis River Mountaineering Games set for May 25, 2025;
- Takes place at Kefalari, Drama, featuring a trio of trail routes;
- Includes the 3rd Zygaktis Kids race—parental bragging rights sold separately;
- Organized by PERI.FI.SY., with municipal support and an eye for legendary tales;
- Athletes and onlookers pour in from Macedonia and beyond;
- Event merges sport, folklore, and what some might call tourist-friendly endurance.
Invitation to Sore Legs and Ancient Stories
On May 25, 2025, Kefalari in Drama will endure its annual invasion of sports enthusiasts, hiking boot purists, and the occasional parent convinced their offspring is destined for Olympic fame. The 5th Zygaktis River Mountaineering Games arrive with the punctuality of allergy season, drawing crowds from Macedonia and anyone suspecting there’s more to life than watching reruns indoors. Alongside the main chaos, the now third-ever Zygaktis Kids event ensures pint-sized athletes get their day in the uncertain sun.
This spectacle owes its existence to the Environmental Athletic Association of Doxato Municipality—PERI.FI.SY. for those who prefer acronyms that sound vaguely biological. The local government offers its blessing, hoping the event doubles as a test of public patience and trail durability.
Racing, Riverbanks, and the Art of Pretending You’re Not Lost
The Zygaktis River Mountaineering Games offer three routes for those with varying levels of ambition, self-delusion, or both:
- 26 km, for those who interpret “fun” as “I wonder if my knees will ever forgive me”
- 6 km, an option hugging the Zygaktis River, reassuring less hardcore participants that yes, you can finish before lunch
- 1 km for children, running beside the water in the spirit of equal opportunity exhaustion
Start and finish lines stand proudly at the Kefalari Community Office, presumably the only spot no runner can miss (unless truly determined).
But let’s not reduce everything to stats. The Zygaktis River, as ancient myth threatens to remind us, is named after “balancing”—a nod to its supposed role in straddling the world of the living and the less lively. Legend paints a dramatic scene: Pluto’s chariot dashes Persephone to Hades’ gloomy basement while the River, not one to mind its own business, tries and fails to stop the journey by shredding the chariot wheels. Ancient Greeks had a knack for melodrama; the trails here maintain the tradition, only with added tree roots and fewer underworld detours.
More Than Running: The Allure of Kefalari
Once off the official routes, participants—if they still possess working legs—could do worse than explore the shaded river banks, dense greenery, and oddly reassuring hum of rural quiet. Kefalari has a knack for turning visitors into accidental hikers and spontaneous picnickers.
Stone bridges, small waterfalls, and the kind of vegetation that likes to remind you who’s really in charge offer a scenic escape (as long as you remember to bring bug spray). Local taverns serve food devised to undo all athletic progress in one sitting. The village holds enough charm for those seeking actual culture to satisfy even the most jaded city-dweller.
If anyone is wondering if it’s worth sticking around, Kefalari’s tranquil setting, cheerful residents, and proximity to Drama tick all the boxes for those seeking “authentic” Greek countryside—complete with mildly competitive exercise and a generous portion of regional pride.
Zygaktis River Mountaineering Games. Come for the trail. Stay for the myth. Leave with a story—and maybe a limp.
