On Sunday 13 July, while Greek and Australian runners and cyclists are hitting the road for 42 kilometres to raise awareness of the plight of Greece’s stray animals, there will also be a swimmer gliding along the coast towards the finish line. Yes, a swimmer! The Penny Marathon (PM), which takes place every year in Athens and Sydney is an event that not only takes place on the same day in the northern and southern hemispheres of the globe, but now both on land and in the sea.

This is the first time finswimmer Nicole Tryfona will participate. The PM team recently read about Nicole’s exceptional accomplishment where she swam for 11.5 consecutive hours (18 nautical miles) from mainland Greece to the island of Corfu to raise money for her local animal shelter, The Ark.
Within moments of an online conversation between PM and the swimmer, Nicole was offering to swim over five hours (almost 17 kilometres) from Alimos to Vouliagmeni in Athens to lend her support to PM. Nicole will be joined by Vangelis Pappas and John Spinoulas in a klepper kayak, who will supervise the swim in these high-traffic waters.

The Penny Marathon raises awareness of the plight of stray, abused and neglected cats and dogs in Greece and Australia. It is sponsored by Neos Kosmos, Lea’s World Travel and Kae International Euromovers. The swim is supported by Action 3. More information on the marathon is available at www.pennymarathon.com