ASTANA – The annual international Astana Marathon 2018 to be held Sept. 16 has raised 36 million tenge (US$99,675) since its existence to support Kazakh charities, reports inform.kz.
Photo credit: inform.kz.
Astana Marathon is a big outdoor running event that has been organised annually since 2009 in the capital. The marathon promotes a healthy lifestyle and raises money for charity.
The money collected from last year’s marathon allowed the AYALA Foundation to buy and install equipment for hypothermia in new-borns for the first time in Kazakhstan.
Every year, this event attracts more and more runners of all abilities, including not only Kazakhs but people from around the globe. This year, the organisers note a record number of elite runners from Ethiopia, Kenya, Eritrea and Uganda will participate.
To date, 2,711 people from 19 countries have registered, according to the marathon organisers. In total, they expect the number of participants to reach 5,000 people from more than 20 countries.
Astana is becoming a popular marathon destination as it has to offer a flat race route.
The Astana Marathon joined the Association of International Marathons and Distance Races (AIMS) this year and has filed an application for the Bronze Label in the IAAF (International Association of Athletics Federations). The IAAF has certified the route of marathon’s distance.
Marathon participants age 16 and older will run a distance of 10 kilometres, while those older than 18 can choose routes up to 42.2 kilometres. The runners will be able to receive their results on the same day with the help of the Chronotrack timing system. However, athletes can be disqualified and removed from the route for failing to meet the six-hour deadline.
The marathon will run from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. Participants will gather at the corner of Ryskulov Street and 2 Turkestan Street, in the parking lot P4 opposite to the EXPO 2017 campus.
