About 45mins north of the well known resort of Kuşadası, the resort of Özdere is a bit of a gem in the Izmir region of Turkey. I have been lucky to visit a couple of times and as is always the case when travelling, my trainers have come with me as well.
On both my trips I have been fortunate to stay at the Club Marvy on the southern tip of town and my runs have started and ended here. Fortunately, as has been the case with many of the time that I have gone running in Turkey, Özdere has a great promenade along it’s waterfront which is perfect for an early morning run.
On my first trip I did a simple out and back, but the second time, I extended a bit to head through the town itself and add a little to the distance.
From the hotel it is a left hand turn towards Özdere itself and you start along the main road in to town. Fortunately there is a footpath to keep you away from the traffic although you do need to take care as it is not the best maintained piece of concrete in the world. You continue along and get a beautiful view over the Marina, especially if the sun is still rising at that time.
After around 1km you will start to head in to the town itself. There are plenty of side roads that cut straight down to the sea front and on my first trip here, that is exactly what I did, but for the slightly longer route, just stick to the path at the side of the main road. What is a little surprising is that it is hillier than I had expected with a pretty constant climb throughout as you pass shops and restaurants.
A little over 3k in the route, you will start to find yourself heading out of town a bit and it is time to swing down to the beach. When I went and reviewed my route, I actually turned about 100m earlier than planned which took me through a few more side roads than planned but, as can be seen from the profile at the bottom, you are straight downhill and as long as you stop when you get to the sea you are fine.
The promenade in Özdere isn’t as long as those I have seen in Marmaris or Side, running for about 1.5km from the Paloma Pasha at one end of the bay, to the headland that you have already run round earlier. It may be shorter but it is perfect for running on.
At the end of the promenade it turns in to a path that makes its way back up the hillside. What this does mean is steps which aren’t ideal as your legs already have 5km in them by this point although if you wanted a step free alternative, taking the final side road at the end of the promenade would be a straight line up to the main road (as this is what I did on my first trip). The stairs and path bring you back to a cafe on the main road that you started on and from here it is jus a final km back to the hotel.
Despite taking in a promenade, this is one of the more undulating beach runs that I have done in Turkey but is well worth doing to get out of the hotel and to see a little more of this town.
If you have done this route yourself, or have any questions, then please do leave a comment below!
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