Paphos draws crowds
The 28th Paphos Marathon in Cyprus attracted roughly 4,500 runners from 66 countries, underscoring how spring road races double as travel draws for international runners. The event’s scale highlights Cyprus as a viable race‑travel destination this season. (travelandtourworld.com)
TUI signed on as title sponsor and exclusive travel-and-distribution partner in a deal announced April 15, 2025 that runs for at least three years, meaning the company will market and sell marathon travel packages through its shops, app and website. (tuigroup.com)) Organisers staged the weekend event on March 7–8, 2026 with the full marathon starting at Petra tou Romiou (Aphrodite’s Birthplace) and central race logistics centred on Pafos Castle square for starts, finishes and the Marathon Expo. (ilovepaphos.com)) The weekend lineup included a full marathon, half marathon, 10 km, 5 km Sunset Run and the Wine Run — the latter described by organisers and TUI as a vineyard route capped by local wine tasting. (tuigroup.com)) Race operations provided AIMS-accredited timing, three official pacers (3:30, 4:00 and 4:30), medical and ambulance support, fluid stations every 2.5 km and a 6‑hour marathon cut‑off with a 21 km checkpoint disqualification at 3:15. (cyprusmarathon.com)) Event logistics were set up to support destination travel packages: official coaches shuttled runners from Kato Pafos Harbour to the Petra tou Romiou start, and DHL handled bag drop and retrieval at the finish. (cyprusmarathon.com)) Organisers and TUI framed the race as part of a broader Mediterranean marathon circuit — the TUI Mediterranean Marathon League already includes TUI‑sponsored races in Rhodes and Palma de Mallorca — linking the sporting weekend to Paphos’s UNESCO World Heritage cultural draw. (tuigroup.com))
