Oleve was one of the sponsors of the 8th SwimRun Hellas | Hydra, held on Hydra on 31 October 2026 by TRIMORE Sport Events with the Municipality of Hydra and the Region of Attica. Every athlete's race pack held a 100 ml bottle of Oleve Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil.
Athletes from 16 European countries and Greece took on the island's wild paths and hard-to-reach coves. Here's how the race went.
Two by two, tied together
SwimRun alternates running and swimming, and on Hydra it is raced in pairs: the two athletes are tied together with an elastic rope and cross the finish line together. This year the race came in four distances:
- Advanced / Marathon: 38.7 km, the longest and hardest
- Core / Half Marathon: the final of the My SwimRun Championships, with a solo category too
- Initiation
- Rookies: 7.5 km of running and swimming in all, a first taste of the sport
The winners of each distance earn a place in the next championship final.
Why the oil on an athlete's plate matters
A race like this is prepared at the table as much as on the paths and in the sea. A proper diet for an athlete is a varied, balanced one, made of real food, and in Greece the fat that brings it together has always been olive oil: over salads and greens, in pulses and grilled fish, on a slice of bread after a long session.
That is why the oil you choose matters. Extra virgin is the top grade of olive oil: the juice of olives, obtained by mechanical means alone, with nothing added and nothing refined. Oleve Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil is certified organic and comes from our 200-hectare estate on Lesvos, so athletes know exactly what goes on their plate and where it was grown.
A taste of Lesvos in every race pack
Alongside the race gear, every pack held a 100 ml bottle of our organic extra virgin olive oil from the Sigri Olive Mill on Lesvos. In their thanks, the organisers named Falcon S.A., Oleve's parent company, for the Oleve extra virgin olive oil: "one in every athlete's pack".
Everyone a winner
As is the custom at this race, every pair was introduced one by one before the start, and every pair cut the ribbon at the finish. They were all winners.
Almost the whole race was run in heavy rain, so thank you too to the kayakers, boatmen, lifeguards and volunteers who looked after every pair.
Congratulations to every pair that finished, from the Rookies to the 38.7 km marathon, and thank you to TRIMORE Sport Events for having us.
Photos and film: RGB, for SwimRun Hellas | Hydra.
