Istanbul's Princes' Islands call adventure seekers next month

On Sept. 3-4, the Princes' Islands in the Marmara Sea will hold the Intra-Island Adventure Competitions with different sporting activities, including swimming, cycling, orienteering and running.

Participants, who must be at least 18, will start by swimming from one island to another. They will swim about one kilometer between the two islands. After completing the swimming track, participants will continue in the cycling section. Last year, the cycling track was about 13 kilometers to 15 kilometers. They will pass specified checkpoints that allow them to gain extra points. Some of these stages are named after famous figures that lived on the Princes' Islands, like footballer Lefter Küçükandonyadis, novelist Reşat Nuri Güntekin and poet Nurullah Ataç.

They will then pick up their orienteering materials and start the final stage. They may also participate in special contests, which will be about 8-kilometers to 12-kilometers long. Island residents can also watch certain stages of the competition as they will be held in public areas.