Runfire Cappadocia Ultramarathon, shortly RFC, () is an international multiday ultramarathon event of desert concept that takes place mostly across the historic Cappadocia region in central Turkey. The event is run in the provinces Nevà Âehir and Aksaray in six days. The Runfire Cappadocia Ultramarathon was established in 2012 taking place on July 7âÂÂ15. It is considered a race of high-degree difficulty. The event is organized by Argos Culture & Arts.
The route starts in front of the Uçhisar Town Hall in Nevà Âehir. Following the Valley of Pigeons (Güvercinlik Vadisi), Ortahisar, Acñgöl, Damsa Dam, Analipsis Monastery (Yüksekli Kilise), Güzelyurt, Avanos, Ihlara Valley, Mount Hasan and around Lake Tuz before crossing through ÃÂavuà Âin and the ÃÂrgüp and Göreme valleys, the marathon ends in ÃÂçhisar, where it started. The longest daily stage is on salt flats around Lake Tuz with . The route features elevations between , valleys, salt lake flats, spectacular rock formations and UNESCO World Heritage sites as well as cave churches and galleries, historic underground cities that made Cappadocia a world-famous tourism destination.
The event is accredited by Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc, one of the worldâÂÂs most prestigious marathons. Finishers are awarded four points, which entitle them to participate at the worldâÂÂs major ultramarathons. The International Association of Ultrarunners (IAU) included the RFC in its competition calendar, and titled it a bronze-label event in 2013.
At the first race in 2012, some 60 local and foreign athletes of both gender took part, among them ultra runners from Denmark, France, Italy, Russia and South Africa.
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