A few words about our race starting with our logo.
Our logo features an Avant Warrior.
The Avantes were an ancient proto-Greek race who initially settled at the mouth of the Asopos River. But because the Avantes were a warlike people who fought “from the cluster” they expanded to the island and lived mainly around Eretria and Chalkida. They were known in the ancient world for shaving the front of the head and leaving a ponytail at the back so that their hair could not be grabbed by their opponents, and their fighting prowess was widely recognized. Nonnos (5th AD) presents the Avantes as a priestly tribe, ancestors of the Curites, who participated in the Dionysian campaigns. Around the 2nd millennium BC they extended to Attica, Ionia and some Aegean islands. Their traces are lost in the period after the Trojan War, but some scientists argue that they moved to Thesprotia at that time, without being able to prove it unequivocally.
Race start in Eretria. Eretria is a coastal town of Evia, south-east of Chalkida, opposite the northern coasts of Attica, in the South Euboean Gulf. During antiquity it was one of the most important city-states of the Greek world (6th-5th century BC). Later, however, it ceased to be considered an important settlement and was gradually deserted. In recent years, after the destruction of Psara (June 1824), a town was founded on the site of the ancient city, initially with the name of Nea Psara, but then continued to be called Eretria.
At the 11th km there is a fuel station and the place where the baton is changed, there we pass Vassiliko.
Vassiliko is located in the Lilandia Fields, about 10 kilometers east of Chalkida, on the left bank of the Lila River. It extends to the coast in the southern Euboean gulf, where its port, Lefkadi, is located, two kilometers south of the center of the settlement. To the northeast are the villages of Phylla, Afrati and to the northwest the village of Mytikas. It is located at an altitude of 20 meters.
Lilantas, the river from which the “Lilandian field” takes its name.
The Lilandian field was the reason for the civil war between Chalkida and Eretria. Most of the cities that have ever fought in a civil war allied themselves with Eretria and Chalkida, which is why it was characterized as the most destructive civil war in the history of Greece. Years later, Chalcidians and Eretrians, as allies, founded the Pithikousses colony in Italy. In modern Greece and today, Halkidians and Eretrians are allied for education and sports and ask the rest of the cities of Greece to ally with them as a united force in favor of unity and solidarity, in favor of education and in favor of the sporting spirit and ideal !
Traces of habitation from the Proto-Hellenic period have been discovered in Lefkadi. Traces of the prehistoric settlement were found on the seaside hill Xiropoli. The settlement was inhabited since 3,000 BC. and developed commercial contacts with the Troas and the islands of the Eastern Aegean. The heyday of the city continued until the geometric times and stopped in 700 BC. On Toumba hill, 500 meters away from Xiropoli hill, a stone arched rectangular building 48 meters long and 10 wide was discovered. A tomb was discovered under the floor of the building within a two-sided rock partition of a man, who had been cremated, and a woman, who had been buried. The bones of four small horses were also found inside the grave. A linen burial garment was found inside the urn, which is the oldest garment found in Greece. Weapons, vases and gold funerary decorations were also found. The tomb dates from the 11th BC. century.
In Lefkadi, according to tradition, a settlement was created again in the 15th century. The area was occupied by the Turkish army in 1470, with Evia having been a Venetian possession since 1205. Due to frequent raids, its inhabitants moved to the area where the Frankish tower is located around 1700 for protection. This area today is the historical center of Vasilikos. Vasiliko is mentioned in an Ottoman tax register of 1474 under the name Vasiliko. According to the inventory, at that time it had 17 houses. It was originally a farming community, but today industry and tourism contribute significantly to its economy.
At the 15th km feed station, this time we pass Mytikas.
The two towers are located in Mytika.
The Two Towers of Mytika are two of the most famous towers of Evia, built according to the standards of fortified buildings of the 11th century. in western Europe. They are very close to each other (less than two hundred meters) and between them is the church of Agia Paraskevi and the cemetery church of Agios Athanasios. It is strange that they are so close to each other, and the only explanation given is that it is probably due to the equal division between the members of some family. They have direct visual contact with the castle of Phylla, which is very close, but also with the tower of Vasilikos and Lefkanti.
From a geographical point of view, the towers are located in the Lilandian field (Mytikas), on a rocky but smooth two-peaked hill. At its base runs the Lilantas river and it is said that apart from their defensive purpose, the towers controlled the river waters for the best water supply of Chalkida and the fertile plain. It is possible that in 1429 one of the twin towers was home to the river marshal, an official who supervised the flow of water.
At the 18th km last feeding station at the source of Arethousa.
The spring of Arethousa is located at the entrance of the city, at the crossroads leading to South Evia. Inside the city of Chalkida and yet so unknown to the general public, a sacred space inextricably linked to the city and its history.
According to the geographer Strabo, in his “Geography”, the waters of Arethusa disappeared after a great earthquake and reappeared in another place after a few days.
According to Greek Mythology, Arethusa is a nymph of springs and forests, a companion of the Goddess Artemis, as well as a daughter of Nereus (hence Nereida nymph) and Doris. According to ancient Greek mythology, the nymph Arethusa was constantly harassed by the river Alpheus. To save her, the goddess Artemis turned her into a river and carried her waters to Syracuse. But because Alpheus’ love was great, the goddess Artemis took his waters to Sicily, where they joined the waters of Arethusa.
The beautiful nymph played a dominant role and her cult overshadowed the other cults that existed in the city. The Chalcidians, in fact, gave her name both to colonies they founded, and to sources of their colonies in the Greek area and outside it. The cult of the nymph had been transferred to the island of Ortygia by Chalkidian settlers. In an oracle given to the Aegeans, the Chalcidians are characterized as “men who will drink the holy water of Arethousis”. Those who drank from the water of Arethusa became distinguished and brave men. The valor and valor of the Chalcidians, who in ancient times had built their city around the spring, were said to be due precisely to the miraculous water of the holy spring. After the source, downstream towards Chalkida, is the new museum of Arethousa.
Let’s all come together to run the Lilandios Half Marathon and give a united message that only sports can!
Running means change, change means life!
We are waiting for you!