Alexander the Great International Marathon
About this good practice
Developing sustainable tourism destinations is an important goal in Regions’ development strategy today. Participatory sport events have been shown to be a good strategy to contribute towards this direction, only when they obey the principles of SDGs, which is not always the case. "Alexander the Great" is a good model, which shows how a large participatory sport event can follow the SDGs.
"Alexander the Great" is in line with all the four pillars of sustainable goals:
• Environmental: the marathon adopts a "zero waste" strategy. It also includes several environmentally friendly strategies and synergies to promote environmental education.
• Economic / tourism: it has a direct impact on the local economy considering the money spent by runners and their associated people (more than 20.000 visitors).
• Health: runners invest a considerable amount of time on training before the event, which improves their physical fitness and health.
• Social: it contributes to individual and societal wellbeing by promoting an active lifestyle.
Stakeholders/beneficiaries:
• Triton Sport Club (Main Organiser)
• Greek Athletics Federation
• World Running Association (AIMS)
• World Athletics
• Region of Central Macedonia
• Municipality of Thessaloniki
• Ministries of: Tourism, Education and Religion Affairs, Macedonia and Thrace
• General Secretariat of Sports
• UNESCO
• Hellenic Olympic Association
• Tourism Promotion Association of Thessaloniki
• Thessaloniki Chamber of Commerce
Resources needed
The event's organizing committee includes paid and voluntary employees. Income comes from runners' fees and sponsors. The budget is around €70,000, with sponsors and fees as the main income sources. As a nonprofit, the event's budget is balanced (costs and income).
Evidence of success
• Ranked 8th in Forbes’ 2019 list of best marathons
• BRONZE Tourist Attraction & Event, Tourism Award for 2024
• Honored at the 2024 Gazzetta Awards for sports contribution
• Founding member of the Mediterranean Marathon League
• 17.000 participants from 71 countries in 2024
• Associated people (3.2 / runner) stayed for almost 3 days in the city
• Over 100 companies involved
• Quality standards: ELOT EN ISO 9001:2015, 14001:2015, 45001:2018
• Under the action “Sustainable Sports Events” of AIMS
Potential for learning or transfer
Cities can boost sustainable tourism by investing in participatory sports events like the Alexander the Great International Marathon. Key success factors for transfer include:
• Involvement of local communities and tourism associations
• Cooperation with multiple Ministries
• Charity fundraising to support local communities
• Participation in tourism awards for international credibility
• Attracting sponsors, including media
• Designing the running route in the city center for visibility
• Engaging volunteers from educational institutions
• Creating a festival atmosphere, such as a kids' run
• Linking the event to local history and using story-telling marketing
• A strong administrative structure balancing volunteers and professionals
• Scientific support from educational institutions, such as post-event research.
Further information
17th Intl' Marathon Alexander the Great - bwin
Images
Website
Good practice owner
You can contact the good practice owner below for more detailed information.
ΜΟΡΦΩΤΙΚΟΣ ΕΚΔΡΟΜΙΚΟΣ ΑΘΛΗΤΙΚΟΣ ΣΥΛΛΟΓΟΣ (Μ.Ε.Α.Σ.) ΤΡΙΤΩΝ ΘΕΣΣΑΛΟΝΙΚΗΣ