The annual Penny Marathon, which is taking place for the 11th time in Greek cities this Sunday, July 10th, invites people around the world to join their cause, taking part in physical activities to raise awareness for struggling stray animals, and celebrate the volunteers fighting to save them.

Named for a stray dog that lost its life on the streets of Athens, the Penny Marathon project began a decade ago, with participants running together for their good cause. Today, the athletic event takes place in several cities around the world, and besides running a full marathon, supporters may choose to bike or partake in the final part of the run – alone, or together with their furry friends.

In Greece this year, organized Penny marathons will take place in Athens, Kalamata, Kalabaka, Larissa, and on the island of Salamina. Internationally, the event will also take place in Australia, in Sydney and Melbourne, as well as in Vancouver, Washington, in the US. Those interested to take part can find information for each city here.

Solo events

In addition, organizers are encouraging people to take part in the event in their own cities. Due to the pandemic, in 2020 and 2021, the Penny Marathon took place as a series of solo events, with participants taking part to raise awareness by posting photos and videos to social media – a concept that will continue this year, parallel with the organized runs. As solo participants, besides running, supporters can choose to partake in any fitness activity they prefer July 10, capture it and post it using the hashtag #pennymarathon2022 (or, alternatively, post them to [email protected] or the event’s Facebook page).

Why go global? “The Penny Marathon may have started in Greece but what it stands for holds true elsewhere. While countries like Greece have a visible stray problem, there are many other countries that pride themselves on their clean streets – a status quo that is maintained by euthanizing hundreds of thousands of healthy cats, dogs and other animals every year that simply cannot find homes,” the event website states.