Around fifty male and female athletes, belonging to four age groups, participated at the “Faial Environment Mini Marathon” which was held in Horta on Saturday.

The mini marathon was included in the celebrations of the World Environment Day, which was celebrated last Friday, and counted upon the participation of 54 athletes.

The junior athlete André Costa, from the Clube Independente de Atletismo Ilha Azul (Blue Island Track and Field Independent Club), was the winner of this mini marathon with a time of 22’51. In the veteran age group, the first athlete to reach the finish line was Vitor André, whilst Pedro Couceiro, Miguel Cordeiro and Adriana Martins won respectively in the men’s adult and young levels and in the women’s junior level.

This event was organised by the Regional Secretariat for the Environment and the Sea, through the Ecoteca of Faial, the Capelinhos Volcano Interpretation Centre and the Botanical Garden of Faial, with the collaboration of the Azores Sea Observatory.

One should recall that last Friday marked the 37 anniversary of the Stockholm Convention, in which more than a hundred countries were gathered in order to award priority to the issues related to the preservation of the environment, as well as to the sustainable use of natural resources.

The World Environment Day, which is annually celebrated on June 5, intends to raise awareness for the great environmental issues which affect the planet.