320 athletes from 27 countries ran in the ancient city of Sagalassos.

Sagalassos Ancient City hosted the pre-final stage of the Skyrunner World Series race, which is held worldwide. 320 athletes from 27 countries participated in the international competition organized in the Ağlasun district of Burdur, enjoying the autumn colors of the district and the Sagalassos Ancient City.

Sagalassos Ancient City, which houses one of the two ancient fountains in the world that still flows, is one of Turkey’s most important excavation sites. It hosted the Skyrunner World Series race, known as one of the toughest and oldest races. For the first time in our country, it made a mark by being included as the Sagalassos Sky Ultra stage. Before the final race to be held in Spain in March, 320 athletes, including 85 foreigners from 27 different countries, participated in the Sagalassos Sky Ultra race, running through the ancient city and almost reliving history. Sagalassos, the most important city of the Pisidia region during the Roman Empire, also attracts great interest from domestic and foreign tourists with its feature of housing the Antonine Fountain, one of only two in the world that still flows. The Sagalassos Sky Ultra, as part of one of the scored athletics branches in Turkey, is significant as it constitutes the first internationally organized event in Turkey and as the largest sports event held in Burdur. The race, consisting of three different stages of 17.24 and 42 kilometers, started under the approximately 1200-year-old plane tree in the Ağlasun square, drawing great interest from the district and village residents. Runners, who climbed the slopes of Akdağ from the district center and through the village, passed in front of the Antonine Fountain located within the Sagalassos Ancient City and finished the race again under the plane tree. The wooden medals were presented to the athletes who successfully completed the race.

“My first goal is to complete the race”
Spanish runner Miguel Zapatero, who came from Istanbul to participate in the Sagalassos Sky Ultra race, said, “I have been living in Turkey for 15 years. I participate in ultra-running competitions. This is my first time here. My friends came last year, but I didn’t have the opportunity. This year it has happened. I hope we complete the stage nicely. I will run 42 kilometers. I have already run quite a bit this year. My first goal is to complete the race. Because finishing this course is also an achievement. I will be happy if I finish without any accidents. It would be nice if I make a good ranking too.”

Athlete Gontzal Murgoitio, who came from the Basque Region of Spain for this run, stated, “I came to Turkey for the first time both as a tourist and for running. I had no information about today’s course. I have participated in many international races. I go abroad a lot to participate in these types of races. Today I will compete in the 27-kilometer stage and aim to be in the top five.”

“There has been a significant increase in the number of tourists in the last 3 years”
Talking about the race, Ağlasun District Governor Metin Eyüpkoca said, “Today, we hosted 230 local and 85 foreign runners under the historical plane tree of our Ağlasun. Our Ağlasun is a green area where history and geography intertwine. We believe that such organizations will highlight the tourism aspect of our district rather than agriculture and livestock. Together with the local administration, we are working swiftly for more of these types of organizations. Because the history of Sagalassos dates back to ancient times. This area is very important. There has been a significant increase in the number of tourists in the last 3 years. I hope it will continue to increase.”

“We will promote our region more”
The organization manager Abdullah Özdemir stated, “Sagalassos Sky Ultra is one of the 20 races in the Skyrunner World series. Our first race in the world series is being organized in Turkey for the first time. This race is very valuable as it is the last race before the finals. There are 320 athletes running from 27 different countries. All these athletes are trying to secure the best position before the finals. A fierce competition took place here as many fast athletes came. In the upcoming years, we will try to promote this course more. We will promote our region more. I hope we will be part of this series at different times. I think Turkey’s tourism potential is very high in November. Our mountains are very suitable for running, and there are many ancient cities. For foreign athletes, it is very valuable to run through an ancient city. We are trying to promote this place to the world in this way. Last year we conducted a test event, and this year we are in the world series. I hope we will host the finals in the coming years.”