[Advendure]: 10^th anniversary of the Navarino Challenge this year and from the very first moment you have been very close related to the event. What was it that inspired you to get so closely involved with it? What had you seen and made you believe in the original vision of its creators?

[Dean Karnazes]: The Navarino Challenge has grown and evolved over the years. The race organizers, Active Media Group, have looked for ways to continually improve the event and add more disciplines and encourage widespread participation. I’ve been involved in so many hardcore events in my career; I wanted to be affiliated with something more inclusive and accessible to people of all ages and abilities. The Navarino Challenge is successful in this way.

[Advendure]: Having been very actively involved in the 10-year history of the Navarino Challenge, what do you think about its evolution? It is currently the most successful sports tourism event in Greece, at a time when these type of events are booming. Would you like to see something more or different added to the next editions of the event?

[Dean Karnazes]: In the US, races that create a unique experience are drawing greater interest. Here in Greece this is a newer phenomenon. Many runners want something beyond just a starting line and a finish line, they want to have a good time and create memories. The Navarino Challenge is essentially the highest form of hospitality, and I see future forms of foot tourism blossoming in Greece (and I’m working with Active Media Group on creating several cultural running programs).

Vladimir Rys @ Navarino Challenge

[Advendure]: How much did the iconic Costa Navarino contributed to the success of the event?

[Dean Karnazes]: Having a partner like Costa Navarino has without question contributed to the success. Costa Navarino realizes the importance of offering activates to the guests that promote healthy, active living. Travelers these days want more than just sitting around poolside getting drunk. The Navarino Challenge has been good for Costa Navarino, and Costa Navarino has been good for the Navarino Challenges. It’s a beautiful partnership.

[Advendure]: You have given us the impression that you have a special love for Messinia. Navarino Challenge, Run Messinia, but also many of your publications and social media posts in recent years have been inspired by this beautiful corner of Greece. Is that so?

[Dean Karnazes]: When I visit a place, I experience it intimately by putting on my shoes and wandering around. I have foot-traveled throughout the world and Messinia has a special feeling about her. The climate here is different than other parts of Greece, the vibrancy of the light is spectacular and the topography diverse. It’s no wonder Homer found Messina captivating. It is truly a jewel.

Elias Lefas @ Navarino Challenge

[Advendure]: The Navarino Challenge half marathon race started years ago on asphalt roads and has now evolved into a beautiful trail running course. What are the highlights of the race based on your experience?

[Dean Karnazes]: Having run races across the globe I can honestly say that the Navarino Challenge course is one of the finest on the planet. The sea, the towering cliffs, the Navarino Bay, all of these elements enliven the senses and invigorate the spirit.

[Advendure]: A few days ago we had the Spartathlon, perhaps the most iconic and certainly the most historic ultra on the planet. What memories do you have of your participation a few years ago, which even gave rise to your book "The road to Sparta". Did your book finally get the reception you expected? How was it received in your second home, in the US?

[Dean Karnazes]: It was wonderful to see a Greek atop the podium at the Spartathlon for the second year in a row. However, it somewhat misses the point to view the Spartathlon as merely a race like any other, for it is so much more than that because of the history and lore surrounding the occasion. The Road to Sparta was my attempt to educating the masses about the origins of the ultramarathon and marathon, both which were born in Greece in 490 BC. The modern-day marathon champions have no idea about the genesis of the race they are running, and that is tragic in my opinion. How can you be proclaimed a world champion marathoner when you can’t even explain where the race you’re champion of came from? The reviews of The Road to Sparta have been excellent and the book continues to have many followers. I am so proud to be Greek and it gives me great internal joy to inform and educate people about our place in history.

Vassilis Sfakianopoulos_DTMH @ Navarino Challenge

[Advendure]: You visit Greece very often now; you run races and talk to what we call the running community. How do you see the development of running in our country? What would you like to see in the future as far as races are concerned, either mountain or asphalt?

[Dean Karnazes]: I am working with Active Media Group on developing a Greek Running Tours business that caters to sophisticate travels that want a unique and intimate taste of Greece beyond the touristed areas. Participants in these 8 days, 7 night tours will have causal runs each day where they experience the richness of Greece on foot, and at the end of the run will be cultural experiences, such as bread making, olive oil pressing, wine making, Greek dancing and others. Guest stay in fine hotels each night, eat authentic Greek food, and have massage and spa services available. This is my effort to upgrade the type of tourist visiting Greece to higher-end travelers who spend more money and respect both the people and the land. Greece doesn’t need more tourists, Greece needs better tourists.

[Advendure]: I remember that almost this time last year we ran in “Run Messinia”, an event created to commemorate the 200 years of the Greek Revolution, but it certainly showed potential and why not establish itself as a stage race in the future. What are the most powerful images that your participation left you with? Do you think it could evolve into a full-fledged event with athletes from all over the planet?

[Dean Karnazes]: Taking part in Run Messinia with you and the others was a highlight of my career. The Greek Running Tours business is meant to be something similar, just on a more approachable level for less elite athletes. Not everyone can run 10 marathons in 10 days, we experienced runners sometimes forget that we operate at a very high level.

 Elias Lefas @ Navarino Challenge

[Advendure]: Dean Karnazes and his story is well known to anyone who is actively involved in running, so we won't go into the past in this discussion, after all you have run in almost every corner of the planet. Are there any new running projects and adventures you have already put on your calendar for the future that you would like to share with us?

[Dean Karnazes]: I have been blessed to run across the globe for the past three decades. But I still have future goals and aspirations. Right now I’ve planning a run in 2024 from the lowest point on earth, the Dead Sea, to the highest point on earth, the top of Mt. Everest. When I get to the summit of Mt. Everest I hope to have two flags, one for America, the land of my birth, and one for Greece, the land of my blood.

Dimitrios Troupis