Having met with Turkish marathon named “Runatolia”, I wanted to take a closer look at other marathons held in Turkey and see what other marathons you can run in this picturesque country and what other interesting cities you can visit.
- Official name: Runatolia
- Venue: Antalya
- Date: March
- Distances: 42, 21 and 10 kilometers
- Route limit: 5 hours
- Entry fee: from 16 $
- Website: runatolia.com
“Runatolia” – popular Turkish marathon, which has been held annually in Antalya since 2006. The race includes marathon and half marathon distances, as well as running for 10 kilometers and mass running for everyone for 4 kilometers without measuring time. In addition, there is a separate discipline in which people with disabilities can compete in wheelchairs.
Every year about 7,000 people from different parts of the world take part in the marathon and related races. Since 2008, the launch pad has been located near the famous Antalya Museum. The race route runs east along the picturesque rocky shores of the Mediterranean Sea.
- Official name: Mersin Marathon
- Venue: Mersin
- Date: March
- Distances: 42, 10 and 5 kilometers
- Route limit: 6 hours
- Entry fee: –
- Website: mersinmaraton.org
“Mersin Marathon” is an annual marathon held in the province of Mersin. As part of the running event, participants can run marathon and half marathon distances, as well as races for 10 and 5 kilometers. The marathon was founded in 2015 and is held with the participation of the Municipality of Mersin.
- Official name: Izmir Marathon
- Venue: Izmir
- Date: April
- Distances: 42 and 10 kilometers
- Route limit: 6 hours
- Entry fee: from 9 $
- Website: maratonizmir.org
“Izmir Marathon” is an annual running event held on the Aegean coast in the city of Izmir. The marathon is traditionally dedicated to the celebration of the Day of Liberation of Izmir from Greek occupation in 1922.
The starting town is located on one of the main historical squares of Izmir called "Cumhuriyet Square". The route passes near the port near the waterfront "Pasaport” along the picturesque coastline of the Aegean Sea. It is worth noting that the Izmir Marathon track is AIMS and IAAF certified.
- Official name: Eker Marathon
- Venue: Bursa
- Date: October
- Distances: 42, 15 and 5 kilometers
- Route limit: 7 hours
- Entry fee: from 10 $
- Website: ekerkosu.com
“Eker Marathon” - the only one speed marathon, which is held in Turkey. The peculiarity of the route is that its start starts at an altitude of 1793 meters above sea level and descends 117 meters above sea level to Ecker Square. The marathon is held annually since 2014.
The first 18.7 km of the marathon are at an altitude of over 1000 meters. There are areas with an ascent of 550 meters uphill, as well as descents of 2230 meters from the mountain. Due to the fact that the route goes down, the participants of the marathon can run faster downhill compared to a flat road and show higher results.
- Official name: Gelibolu Marathon
- Venue: Gelibolu
- Date: October
- Distances: 42, 21 and 10 kilometers
- Route limit: 6 hours
- Entry fee: from 13 $
- Website: gelibolumaratonu.com
“Gelibolu Marathon” is a running event held annually in the city of Gallipoli. The main slogan of the marathon is "I run for peace". The organizers of the event bring together participants of different nationalities from around the world to run side by side for peace around the world. The purpose of the race is to strengthen friendship between people from different countries, as well as to honor the memory of the heroes who died in the historic battles fought in Turkey.
- Official name: Istanbul Marathon
- Venue: Istanbul
- Date: November
- Distances: 42, 15 and 8 kilometers
- Route limit: 6 hours
- Entry fee: from 53 $
- Website: maraton.istanbul
“Istanbul Marathon” - the only one in the world transcontinental marathon, which is held in Europe and Asia. This marathon has been held since 1979 and has the highest status of World Athletics Gold Label Road Races.
Every year about 25 thousand runners from all over the world take part in the main marathon and accompanying races. The competition provides three disciplines - a classic marathon, races for 15 and 10 kilometers, as well as non-competitive race for 8 kilometers. There is also a separate category for people with disabilities in wheelchairs.
Track marathon in Istanbul has an asphalt pavement, the route is mostly flat and passes near the coastline. The route also passes through many monuments and historical sites, such as Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque, the Bosphorus Bridge, the Golden Horn Bay and others.
