2024EUROMED - Sports in Mediterranean Countries - The Ladja Marathon (C) - First Day Cover

The Ladja Marathon is an amateur sports competition involving races of ladjas, traditional indigenous vessels in the Neretva River valley. The first marathon took place on 13 September 1998, as part of the commemoration of the seventh anniversary of the Croatian Army’s operation Zelena tabla – Mala bara. When the race was being prepared in 1998, no one could have imagined that this first Ladja Marathon would eventually evolve into one of the most significant cultural, sports and tourist events in the Republic of Croatia. The first marathon laid the foundation for a traditional event that has been held continuously on the Neretva River every year since then.