After a hectic week, being able to combine a getaway with sports is always a real pleasure for me. This time, I was in Antalya for Runtalya. I arrived in the city on Friday evening. First came hotel check-in, then the search for a place to eat… We eventually settled on Mermerli Restaurant in Kaleiçi. After feasting on delicious mezes and sea bass, we headed back to the hotel to get some rest.
Since I had just come off an intense and sleepless week, I slept in quite late the next morning (well, late for me means around 9:00 a.m. 😄).
After breakfast, I settled down to do some work in the hotel lobby. As I sipped my tea and coffee and went over my notes, a cute dog approached me. The moment I reached out and said, “Aren’t you a lovely pup,” it jumped right onto the couch and laid across my lap. Moments later, its owners joined us.
We learned that the dog’s name was “Moka,” inspired by her brown color. The name comes from ‘Mocca,’ a short form of the coffee drink mocchachino. This adorable dog was a Tarsus Çatalburun, a Turkish breed known for its distinctive split nose, which is what gives the breed its name. I found out that these dogs originate from Tarsus and are even referred to as ‘Turkish Pointers’ in international literature.
After playing with Moka, getting some work done, and fitting in a short training run, I treated myself to a relaxing spa session—which I needed. Then it was time to pick up our race kits from the Terracity Mall and figure out our dinner plans. Honestly, I didn’t feel like eating at the food court or any of the restaurants near the entrance. Because even though Terracity is one of the nicest malls in Antalya, it’s no different from the shopping malls in Istanbul. In fact, it doesn’t even have a movie theater.
(By the way, quick side note: back in the day, I opened the first KFC in Antalya right here at Terracity Mall. It’s one of the projects I’m proud of. And during this visit, it was still one of the two busiest restaurants in the mall. I’ll write more about that in another post.)
Back to Saturday evening: I was in the mood for something different. Since I didn’t want to eat at any of the restaurants inside the mall, we headed outside. As we were checking out the places across the street, I spotted a sign that read Karadeniz Ev Yemekleri (Black Sea Home Cooking), and the moment I saw it, I said, “Perfect. Let’s eat here.”
We crossed the street and sat down at a modest little Black Sea restaurant where we treated ourselves to cabbage soup, Karadeniz pide, fried anchovies (yes, you heard right—we ate fried anchovies in Antalya, and they were delicious), and Laz böreği for dessert. It was a full-on feast. And the best part? The whole meal only cost us 35 TL.
After returning to the hotel in high spirits, I ran into İbrahim Betil in the lobby—someone I’ve known for many years. I had last seen him at Ashoka. (Ashoka is a nonprofit organization that supports social entrepreneurship. You can read my previous article about them by clicking here: http://serhansuzer.com/tr/ashoka-ve-guzel-yurekli-insanlar-toplulugu.)
During our chat, he naturally asked me, “What’s your reason for running?” I told him I was running for fitness, but I also mentioned that representatives from groups like Adım Adım and AKUT would be running collectively. I said that it was something we could consider doing in the future as well—because I’m the founding president of the Food Banking Association, which was established to combat hunger and malnutrition. And I personally take part in aid efforts whenever I get the chance. Running as a team to raise awareness about our cause and activities struck me as a great idea.
After spending a little more time in the lobby, I headed to bed. You’d think I got a good night’s sleep before the race—but at 3:30 a.m., someone banged loudly on my door. Half-asleep, I shouted, “What is it?” The guy at the door said, “I’ve brought your hamburgers.” Annoyed, I snapped back, “What hamburgers, man? We’re sleeping here!” He replied, “Sorry,” and the noise stopped.
It was quite unpleasant to experience something like this at one of Antalya’s supposedly top hotels—whose name I won’t mention. I’ll leave it to you to interpret what “hamburgers” might have really meant at 3:30 in the morning.
Needless to say, sleep was out of the question after that. I remember briefly dozing off just before dawn. When the alarm went off at 6:30, I jumped out of bed. Muttering about the guy who woke me up, I got ready and went down for breakfast.
When I arrived at the race area, the crowd was slowly beginning to gather. On the grassy area where we were warming up, I walked over to Nasuh Mahruki, who had come with the AKUT team. He told me he wouldn’t be able to run due to a motorcycle accident he had during the Gezi Park protests. I wished him a quick recovery and all the best, then left. Before I started warming up, I took a few photos:
During the warm-up, I spotted Mehmet Hoca from G-MallMAC. He told me he was going to run the marathon. I told him I’d be doing the 10 K with zero training. We also talked about how I wanted to start training again. At 9:00 sharp, the marathon and half-marathon runners took off. At 9:15, it was our turn—the 10 K runners.
Before the race, I had made up my mind not to push myself too hard. I really did start at a comfortable pace. At one point, I noticed my longtime friend Eda standing on the side of the road with a friend. I gave them a wave as I ran past and kept going. Turns out, Eda snapped a photo of me right at that moment:
Just as I started to pick up my pace (around the 4th kilometer, I think), I saw the DJ who was playing music from the back of a truck, lifting everyone’s spirits. We exchanged a wave in appreciation of the great tunes. As I continued, I found myself constantly passing other runners.
After the 5th kilometer, the crowd began to thin out. Of course, a few people were passing me too. At one point, a woman who looked to be in her 60s ran past me! I couldn’t believe my eyes—she must have been a former track athlete. Not wanting to be left behind, I picked up the pace and passed her. When I reached the final 500 meters of the race, I overtook a group of about seven runners who appeared to be in their 20s. Two of them responded to my surge and managed to pass me in the last 50 meters, bringing the race to a close. I finished the run in exactly 50 minutes and struck the following pose afterward:
As I was returning to the hotel in high spirits, I saw the performance group from Kenya and greeted them in their own language; I said “Cambo” (hello) and “Hakuna Matata” (everything is fine) and took a photo with them.
After arriving at the hotel and completing our return preparations, we spent some time with the parrot, whose name I learned was “Pokka,” and then headed for the airport.
Overall, I can say that Runtalya was a pleasant and enjoyable event. My only criticism is that after the 5 K turn, arrivals and departures mixed up. It would be good if they could fix this. I hope Runtalya continues in the future. This event is a welcome relief for hoteliers struggling to fill their hotels during the low season, and it also provides enjoyable moments for those who attend.
Tag: excursion
