Ohrid this weekend breathes to the rhythm of running. The tenth, anniversary edition of "Ohrid Runs" drew a record 2,700 participants from over 30 countries - a number that has turned what began as a small local initiative in 2017 into one of the country's most recognizable sports-and-tourism events.

The program runs three days. Friday brings the traditional night run, Saturday city tours and cultural activities, and Sunday the peak of it all - a half marathon over 21 kilometers at 8:15 a.m., a 5-kilometer race at 9, plus relays and team races. Among the participants is Olympic competitor and national record holder Dario Ivanovski.

Behind the numbers is something Ohrid has long been after - a way to be known beyond the summer season of beaches and parties. "We're marking an anniversary that isn't only about running. We're marking 10 years of creating stories, 10 years of building friendships," said Ivan Cvetkovski of the "Ohrid Runs" athletics club. Mayor Kiril Pecakov, for his part, called the event an excellent promotion of the city as a sports and tourism destination.

And here's the point worth underlining. While a large part of the country's tourism story still leans on the same old formulas, an event like this shows there's another path - one that brings people from thirty countries not for cheap fun, but for an experience. Thirty-two police posts will secure the course; the whole city will stop for a few hours. For one weekend, Ohrid won't be known for who sang on the square, but for who ran up to it. That's a change worth having.