Runners brave adverse weather to honour resistance fighters in 2nd “Aktina 9 – Lazaretto” Road Race

The 2nd “Aktina 9 – Lazaretto: The Race of the Immortals” 5 km road race took place on Saturday evening, 31 October, despite the adverse weather conditions. It was organised by the Corfu branches of the KNE (Young Communists) and the KKE Communist Party).

Welcoming the participants, KNE member Anastasia Lampropoulou said:

“Welcome everyone to today's road race, organised by the KNE under the title ‘Aktina 9 – Lazaretto: The Race of the Immortals’, held one day before the commemorative event honouring the executed communists and resistance fighters who suffered martyrdom on Lazaretto.

Today, 80 years later, we are bringing back to life the moving journey made by the condemned communist prisoners and other resistance fighters from Corfu Prison to the islet of Lazaretto, where they were executed.

The 5 km route we will retrace the tragic journey made by those awaiting execution. It begins here, at Corfu Prison, from where they were taken by boat, aboard the ‘Achilleas’, to Lazaretto.

Our participation in today's race is deeply moving because these people showed us the way we must follow today: the path of struggle by the people and the younger generation. Through this initiative, we are not simply honouring the past but drawing inspiration from it. The example set by those who were executed stands as a symbol of an unyielding spirit and a source of inspiration for today's struggles.

Through the heroic way in which they stood firm, they send a powerful message about the stance that young people and the working class should take today in the face of the escalating developments of our times. They show us the only way forward: the struggle for a world without the exploitation of one human being by another.”

At the finish line, G. Borbotis, Secretary of the Corfu Local Committee of the KKE, gave a brief address, congratulating the participants and inviting them to attend the commemorative event the following day.

This year's race saw a new course record, with an impressive time of 17:07!

The results of this year's race in the men's category were:

1st – Aris Rapsomanikis
2nd – Konstantinos Kavadias
3rd – Theodoros Kazianis

Women's category:

1st – Nefeli Chondrogianni
2nd – Olivia Sandu
3rd – Sabrina Kolla

ELENI KORONAKI