A Charity Marathon in support of cetaceans: on 17 June 2023, Sanremo dedicates a day in favour of the whales and dolphins that populate our sea, with the new edition of the Run for the Whales. Not everyone knows that the City of Flowers is the most important starting point for whale watching excursions in the Pelagos Sanctuary.
The Pelagos Sanctuary is an international protected marine area of 87,500 km², created in 1999 between France, Italy and the Principality of Monaco to protect a vast stretch of sea characterised by a high concentration of marine mammals as a consequence of the abundance of food. As many as eight species live in the Sanctuary area, including the fin whale, the second largest cetacean in the world at over 20 metres long and 60 tonnes in weight. And it is precisely with the aim of publicising and protecting the Pelagos Sanctuary and enhancing its tourist potential that the Run for the Whales takes place every year. The programme features three races: a 21 km competitive half-marathon for runners, a non-competitive 10 km and a 3 km walk open to everyone along Sanremo’s cycle-pedestrian path. The Run for the Whales was launched in 2016 in favour of the non-profit Tethys Institute, an association founded in 1986 for the study and protection of marine mammals in the Mediterranean. Tethys participated in the creation of the Pelagos Sanctuary and has been committed to its protection and conservation for years, achieving important results. The Institute’s scientific publications number in the hundreds, attesting to its professionalism in research and qualifying it among the best-known and most authoritative institutions in the sector.
For information and to register: www.runforthewhales.it
Anna Maria Castellana
