As we've already written, Crikvenica near Rijeka, in the northern part of the Croatian coast, has one of the most amazing pet-friendly places in Croatia - Monty's Dog Beach Bar. This weekend an amazing Underdog Marathon swimming race was held there, for dogs and their owners!
The race is called "Underdog Marathon Crikvenica", and while we're not entirely sure how long the marathon exactly was, we know that this was the third annual race, and that the number of participants is growing each year, which makes the event bigger and more entertaining. This year it included the meet and greet with staff and dogs from the Dog Shelter maintained by the Crikvenica Veterinary Clinic, and after that the human and canine athletes started their swimming adventure.
Honestly, it was probably not much of a marathon per se, as the race took only half an hour, and it included a brief run along the coast and then a swim to the bar. Around twenty dog+owner couples participated, and you can see some amazing photos (including some which might be considered cheating) at Novi List. After the race itself additional contests were held: dog wine drinking and dog icecream eating competitions (no participation from the owners was required for those disciplines, (un)fortunately).
You might be wondering, were there prizes? Yes, there were. The winners of the marathon, Nimbus and his owner Marin, who also won the inaugural marathon in 2017, were awarded a free stay for two nights for two people and their dog (of course!) in Padova Premium Camping Resort on Rab. Runners-up, Zita and Igor, got a dinner for two and their dog (Zita, please, not some other dog!) at the same resort. Third-place winners won a full grooming service for the dog at Klempo grooming service in Kastav near Rijeka, plus cocktails for the humans at Padova resort. There was also a prize for the last-place finisher, an Adriatic version of a red lantern: the slowest dog+owner pair to finish the race got a brunch for two and their dog at Gastro Restaurant Karoca in Crikvenica.
Fastest doggy ice cream eater, who has not been publicly acknowledged yet, was awarded two ice cream cups at the Toš Kavana in Crikvenica, and a bag of doggy food, given by the Vet Centre Crikvenica. Fastest doggy wine drinker, also not yet made public, won free cocktails for their owner at the Three Monkeys Cocktail Bar in Rijeka.
After the races the fun continued, as there was barbeque, cocktails, and lots of dogs and dog-friendly people around them on the amazing Crikvenica beach!
