The Panhellenic Federation of Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders undertakes, with due responsibility and a sense of brotherhood for all humankind, a unique global project, which equally concerns us all! After many years of research, we achieved pleasant results, this time not for diagnosis, treatment and management, but for something much more important... PREVENTION! This is the first time that our studies and research strongly support the idea that DEMENTIA can be PREVENTED at a rate of 45%! Hence, our Panhellenic Federation is undertaking the planning - with the support of state agencies, such as large Business Industrial Groups, Chambers and International Charitable Foundations - of this great global both medical and sports event.

Since our goal is of worldwide interest, the stakeholders that we reached out to, such as the Municipality of Thessaloniki, the Metropolis of Thessaloniki, the Ministry of Macedonia -Thrace, the Region of Central Macedonia, etc., immediately decided to support us. We inform you that the "1st International Alzheimer's Disease Prevention Race", will take place in Thessaloniki during autumn 2025 in Thessaloniki. The message from Greece to the whole world is that DEMENTIA - finally - can be prevented!
The forerunner and its’ official first and worldwide announcement will take place on Sunday, April 6, 2025, at 12.30 p.m., in the context of the 19th Alexander the Great International Marathon, in which all of us will take part in the 5km race!
The message from Greece to the whole world is that DEMENTIA - finally - can be prevented!
We invite our members and friends, attendants and carers, doctors and nurses, students and citizens, school students to participate so that all of us together and each of us individually, become strong bearers of hope and resounding transmitters of the message of prevention; inviting at the same time the whole world from this year and every year, to be a part of the global race against DEMENTIA.

The money raised from the participations will be allocated exclusively to dementia research scholarships for Greek students that have excelled at their studies, the names of whom were announced at our recent 14th Panhellenic Conference held in February 2025 in Thessaloniki. This very important and hopeful message should neither be a mere announcement at a medical conference, nor a news item in the media or a press release on informative medical and social websites. On the contrary, it should amiably spread all over the world from the country of origin of Hippocrates.

Therefore, by keeping the medical obligation and the human duty in mind, we are sending, from Greece and the headquarters of our Panhellenic Federation, Thessaloniki, the most resonant and optimistic message, to the whole world... that prevention of Dementia is POSSIBLE ...

In order to succeed in our goal and send this resounding and optimistic global message, all over the world, we need everyone's support and participation!

OUR VISION AND PRINCIPLES

International statistical reviews show that there are currently 50,000,000 patients worldwide and 200,000 patients in Greece, while the disease affects 10% of people over 65 and 30% over 85. Scientists predict that the number of people with dementia will increase dramatically in the future. The Greek Association of Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders (Alzheimer Hellas) estimates that the number of dementia patients in Greece will reach 354,000 in 2050. Dementia is a hereditary and long-term disease and it heavily affects approximately one million Greek families. It is a terrifying, soul-destroying, unbearable, emotional and financially costly "Marathon" of life, with direct caregivers being affected first.

According to global statistics, Cancer and Dementia are the two most well-known global diseases of humanity. It is also a major problem for developed societies with a long life expectancy. Hence our initiative is part of the preventive actions to inform and activate citizens, regardless of whether they are related by blood to a patient with Dementia or not.

WHY THIS ROAD RACE IS NECESSARY

As the President of the Panhellenic Federation of Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders, and Emeritus Professor of Neurology at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, I would like to inform you that there are a lot of positive and supportive actions for dementia patients and their caregivers happening in Greece. The National Strategic Plan for the treatment of dementia was created, we also have Day Centers, Mobile Units, Palliative Care Units both for the middle and the advanced stages of dementia and community liaison units. Additionally, we regularly organize hybrid Lectures, Workshops and Conferences all over Greece, so people who live far from urban centers can take part either in person or online.

But now it is the time to start a NEW big optimistic and hopeful fight, a BIG global campaign for PREVENTION. Because NOW we know that we can prevent dementia in 45% of cases and, most importantly, that dementia is not inevitably identified with life expectancy. Hopefully, in a few years it will be viewed as a less complex, multi-layered and labyrinthine condition and it will be a more tolerable medical, social and economic problem for everyone.

OUR GOAL

The organization of the "1st International Alzheimer's Disease Prevention Race" will not be a stereotypical sports event. Instead, it will be based on a radical alternative sports, social and medical initiative that will give sports the social dimension it deserves by combining forces and people's will for a better life with the concurrent transmission of messages of love and hope to everyone.