Lazanias Trail 2023

LAZANIAS TRAIL
On April 1st 2023, the runners who will stand at the starting line by the old byzantine church of Lazanias village 08:00 will experience of a unique race that combines through its routes, the incomparable beauty and view of the area, with the Byzantine years of the Komnina Dynasty with the Monastery of Machairas and the period of Frankish rule, the unique traditional architecture of the village and Fikardo (The village is owned by the Department of Antiquities, which in 1978 declared the entire village an “Ancient Monument” and a “Controlled Area”; the village has been declared by the Ministry of Communications and Works as a candidate UNESCO World Heritage Site).
THE EVENTS
The race includes two events:
1. Lazanias TrailRun4Fun 9.88km
2. Lazanias Trail 36.4km
THE ROUTE
The athletes will follow a different route this year and runners can review the racecourses following links (Plotaroute links) to download the route to their gps watches.
LAZANIAS TRAILRUN4FUN
HTTPS://WWW.PLOTAROUTE.COM/ROUTEPROFILE/2147800
Distance 9.878 km Ascent/Descent (Raw) 453 m / 450 m
Ascent Filter 5 m -+ Ascent/Descent (Filtered) 431 m / 428 m
Lowest Point 715 m (at 5.13 km) Highest Point 909 m (at 6.93 km)
Uphill 4.50 km (45.6%) Downhill 4.95 km (50.1%)
Flat 0.36 km (3.6%) Height Gain 194 m
Steepest Uphill +23.3% (at 5.94 km) Steepest Downhill -27.8% (at 7.38 km)
Longest Uphill 1.35 km (at 8.28 km) Longest Downhill 1.35 km (at 6.93 km)
Ascent Rate 46 m/km Descent Rate 46 m/km
LAZANIAS TRAIL
HTTPS://WWW.PLOTAROUTE.COM/ROUTE.2147823
DISTANCE 36.395 KM ASCENT/DESCENT (RAW) 1734 M / 1723 M
ASCENT FILTER 5 M -+ ASCENT/DESCENT (FILTERED) 1650 M / 1643 M
LOWEST POINT 715 M (AT 8.46 KM) HIGHEST POINT 1060 M (AT 14.13 KM)
UPHILL 17.64 KM (48.5%) DOWNHILL 17.28 KM (47.5%)
FLAT 1.44 KM (4.0%) HEIGHT GAIN 345 M
STEEPEST UPHILL +27.8% (AT 27.90 KM) STEEPEST DOWNHILL -26.7% (AT 14.13 KM)
LONGEST UPHILL 1.71 KM (AT 11.70 KM) LONGEST DOWNHILL 1.71 KM (AT 26.01 KM)
ASCENT RATE 48 M/KM DESCENT RATE 47 M/KM
PARTICIPATION FEE
1. Lazanias TrailRun4Fun 8.9km €20.00
2. Lazanias Trail 25km €27.50
Special prices will be offered for team participations, clubs, National Guard, Police – Fire Brigade, while conscript national guards can participate free of charge.
REGISTRATIONS
Registrations at www.ntrails.com will continue till Thursday March 30th, 2023; additional information and clarifications about the race and the racecourse can be obtained at 99669922. Runners will receive a finisher’s medal at the finish line, while there will be electronic timing with MyLaps timing system. There will be three refueling stations offering water and fruit, while traditional breakfast will be offered upon arrival at the venue, cordially offered by the Community Council of Lazania.
LAZANIAS
Built at an altitude of about 900 meters, Lazanias is one of the most picturesque mountain villages of the Nicosia district. In the northwest it adjoins the village of Gourri and in the southwest with the village of Farmakas. The preservation of its beauty over the years proves that it is a “blessed” place, which overlooks and watches like a daughter of an eye, the Virgin Mary, from the Monastery of Machairas.
Strolling through the narrow stone winding streets an integral part of the residential tradition of our island, the visitor travels to another era. Brick tiled houses, balconies with wooden beams, carved windows, and doors, compose the beautiful image of Lazanias. Of imposing beauty and significant archaeological value, the church of Agios Georgios dates back to the early19th century and is one of the most important reasons to visit the village of Lazania. The colorful decoration of the wooden ceiling captivates the visitor, just as it captivated the English scholars Jeffrey and Gannis, who were impressed with the image they saw inside the church.
HISTORY – NAME
According to scholars, the history of the village is placed in the Late Byzantine years and they associate it with the foundation of the Holy Monastery of Machairas in 1160 AD. According to their studies, the inhabitants of the area where the village is located today lived in smaller settlements which were united on the initiative of two monks of the Monastery of Machairas. Lazanias along with other villages in the area were given as a privilege to the Monastery of Machairas during the Komnenos Dynasty, however during the Frankish period the privileges were abolished and passed to Frankish feudal lords. The Frankish de Lusignan family, whose village was a fief, seems to have given the name to the village. In particular, the name Lazania is a corruption of the name “Lusignan” which refers to the Frankish royal family of de Lusignan. The initial opinion of the scholars was that during the Frankish period, the village was a fief of the de Lusignan family, who gave their name to it. However, there is also the opinion that the name is not associated with the Frankish royal family as the village is not included in the list of Frankish fiefs. Giorgos Karouzis in his book adds “the first settler who apparently bore the name Lazania, settled in the village creating his fief with the locals working as collegians in it” (p.331-332). Finally, there is the opinion of some scholars who place the beginning of the history of the village in the late 18th to 19th century, based on the traditional architectural structure of the village’s settlements.