Z Adventures

TURKMENISTAN CHALLENGE 2024: Day 3: Gates of Hell 10K

Turkmenistan Challenge 2024 - Day 3: Gates of Hell by night and award ceremony

Turkmenistan Challenge 2024 - Day 3: Gates of Hell 10K

Turkmenistan Challenge 2024 - Day 2: Nisa, Turkmenbashy Ruhi Mosque & Circus

Turkmenistan Challenge 2024 - Day 2: Ashgabat Marathon

Turkmenistan Challenge 2024 - Day 1: Ashgabat city tour.

Dinner, live entertainment and award ceremony.

CAUCASUS CHALLENGE 2024: The final race of the 3-Country Challenge unfolded at the stunning Rustavi Park, just outside Tbilisi. After enduring two intense marathons in Azerbaijan and Armenia, the weather finally worked in our favor. We were greeted with a perfect overcast sky and temperatures in the comfortable high teens.

Following the race, we experienced true Georgian hospitality. A restaurant was reserved just for us, where we enjoyed an incredible feast accompanied by live traditional folk music and dancing.

This brought our one-week, action-packed adventure through the Caucasus to a memorable close.

Now getting ready for the next adventure in Turkmenistan in October!

The day began with a sightseeing tour of Yerevan, starting at the iconic "Mother Armenia" statue, followed by a visit to the Tsitsernakaberd Armenian Genocide Memorial Complex. Next, we toured the historic Ararat Brandy Factory, established in 1887, before exploring the local market for souvenir shopping.

Around noon, we departed Yerevan and headed north toward Lake Sevan, a stunning high-altitude lake in eastern Armenia. Sevan is home to a remarkable monastery featuring two ancient stone churches dating back to the 9th century. After enjoying a fresh fish lunch, we continued our journey toward the border. Due to inclement weather, our driver opted for an alternative route skirting Nagorno-Karabakh, the disputed territory between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

Tomorrow is the final race of the challenge at Lake Rustavi, Georgia.

The Ministry of Tourism hosted an exclusive Armenian folk music performance for the runners at the Hovhannes Sharambeyan Centre of Popular Creation.

VARDAVAR LAKE MARATHON, ARMENIA: After yesterday's heavy rain, Yerevan greeted us with brilliant sunshine as we arrived at Vardavar Lake for the race. The course circled the lake, offering a flat route with the majestic Mount Ararat standing proudly in the background.

In the evening, the Ministry of Tourism hosted an exclusive Armenian folk music performance for the runners at the Hovhannes Sharambeyan Centre of Popular Creation, followed by a traditional Armenian dinner.

Tomorrow morning, we’ll embark on a Yerevan sightseeing tour, enjoy lunch by Lake Sevan, and then head to Georgia for the final race of the three-country challenge on Friday.

It was an action-packed, yet somewhat lengthy day today. Our journey began with a morning flight from Baku to Tbilisi, where we were welcomed with the famous Georgian hospitality. We enjoyed a local-themed lunch before embarking on a city tour that gave us fascinating insights into the history of both Tbilisi and Georgia. The city’s name comes from the Old Georgian word "Tpili," meaning warm, which refers to the area’s many sulfuric hot springs—renowned for their use in public baths, and we had the chance to experience them firsthand.

After lunch, we began a seven-hour drive, crossing the border into Armenia. Tomorrow brings the second marathon of our trip in Yerevan, before we return to Georgia on Thursday.

Waterfront Marathon 2024, Baku - Azerbaijan

Runners from around the world arrived in Baku for the start of the 3-country challenge. Today, we arranged a Baku sightseeing tour for the runners followed by lunch at a traditional Azerbaijan restaurant. First race of the challenge is tomorrow.

CAUCASUS CHALLENGE 2024: We are a few weeks from the start of this amazing 3-country marathon challenge.

Details: https://z-adventures.org/caucasus-challenge.html #

EASTERN CARRIBEAN CHALLENGE 2025: 6 marathons - 6 countries - 1 week cruise!

Cruise marathoning is back! Join us for the 2nd edition of the Eastern Caribbean Challenge, an exciting series of long-distance races that span six stunning Caribbean islands in one week.

DATE: JAN 4-12, 2025

Registration link: https://z-adventures.org/eastern-caribbean-challenge.html

Marathon Globetrotters

One of our marathoners needs help. Please donate generously or at least share his story. Thank you.

https://www.doneeractie.nl/marathon-op-elk-continent-met-als/-91887

My name is Dawid Grebosz. I am 29 years old and I come from Poland. My whole life has been connected to sports, and I have never been able to imagine a life without physical activity. Despite many injuries and difficult moments, sports have shaped my character and taught me to never give up. In Poland, I swam, did athletics, and played football in junior clubs for 11 years. However, a serious knee problem forced me to end my football adventure. This injury completely excluded me from sports for four long years. At one point, I decided to interrupt my studies and in November 2017, I moved to the Netherlands to work, where my running adventure began. When the knee problem finally passed, running became my new passion. During this time, I participated in many running competitions, ranging from 5 km to ultra races. At this moment, I have 17 completed marathons in 14 different countries and two ultra races in my collection. Despite regular training, I achieved my best results in the first year of my running. My legs became weaker year by year, but no one could accurately diagnose the problem. Unfortunately, in January of this year, after long examinations, the doctors in the Netherlands gave me one of the worst diagnoses: amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). This is one of the very rare neurodegenerative diseases, which is mainly diagnosed in people over 40 years old and can very quickly lead to death due to muscle atrophy (the average survival time is 3-5 years). When I started running, I dreamed of one day running marathons in every country in the world because I also love to travel and can now combine these two passions. Unfortunately, after this hard-to-accept diagnosis, I don't really know how quickly this disease will develop, as it progresses differently in everyone and how much time I have left. At this moment, completing a marathon on every continent still seems achievable. However, the marathon in Antarctica is the most expensive marathon in the world, and trips to Asia and Australia are also costly. At this moment, I am still able to complete a marathon, but I do not have the financial means to fulfill this dream. I have never liked asking for anything and have always willingly supported various charitable actions. Now I find myself on the other side. If the disease begins to progress quickly, this is the only way to fulfill my dream. For any help, I will be grateful from the bottom of my heart.

Donate using the link provided in the comments section below.

TURKMENISTAN CHALLENGE 2024: Registration is now open!

https://z-adventures.org/turkmenistan-challenge.html

TURKMENISTAN CHALLENGE Z Adventures is proud to present the Turkmenistan Challenge. Join us on an exciting adventure as we explore the least visited country on earth and run the only official marathon in the country. ...

CAUCASUS CHALLENGE 2024: Join us for the 3-country challenge and also watch the Azerbaijan F1 Grand Prix. It would take place one day before the 1st race of the series in Baku.

We could only reserve 36 spots for the tour due to high hotel occupancy. Spots are on a first-come, first-serve basis and there are less than 10 spots left.

Register now: https://z-adventures.org/caucasus-challenge.html

City Tour and a visit to meet the cave man of Socotra!