The Istanbul Marathon offers you a unique experience as the only intercontinental marathon in the world. As you run along the route that connects Europe and Asia, you will witness unforgettable moments filled with Istanbul’s historical charm and stunning views. Throughout the course, you will enjoy the breathtaking views of …
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The Istanbul Marathon offers you a unique experience as the only intercontinental marathon in the world. As you run along the route that connects Europe and Asia, you will witness unforgettable moments filled with Istanbul’s historical charm and stunning views.
Throughout the course, you will enjoy the breathtaking views of the Bosphorus and discover the unique beauty of the city. As each kilometer makes you feel the history and liveliness of Istanbul, the excitement of running in this magnificent city will increase step by step.
Running from Asia to Europe through the history of one of the oldest settlements in the world is what makes your efforts so rewarding. The distinguishing features of the city of Istanbul are its geographic location, unique natural beauty, and the great historical and cultural heritage which has come to symbolize the city. Istanbul is located on the Bosphorus peninsula, with Halic (Golden Horn) in the northwest of the country. It is the only city placed on two continents: European and Asian Regions. With a unique location, between the Balkans and Anatolia, the Black Sea and the Mediterranean, Istanbul embraces both western and eastern cultures.
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Gorgeous, fun course, but logistics had
Overall this was a worthwhile experience. The first 15k is well supported, with gorgeous scenery! But for slower runners like myself the lack of water between 12 miles and 25 … MORE
Overall this was a worthwhile experience. The first 15k is well supported, with gorgeous scenery! But for slower runners like myself the lack of water between 12 miles and 25 miles was a problem. The web site was very clear about required pace, and I was within that, but they ran out of water for us in the back. I would suggest that slower runners such as myself plan for this as if the second half is self-supported; either have friends/ family meet you at planned locations en route, or carry all the water you need yourself.
There were also some issues getting to the start line. Several scheduled trams were canceled, then the ferry took much longer to dock than seemed reasonable. So despite arriving at the tram by 7am, I didn’t get to the gates until 8:50am for a 9:00am start.
Organization great race day poor at expo
The info at the expo was confusing with respect to how to get to the start - conflicting messages. However on race day, once I got on the tram, all … MORE
The info at the expo was confusing with respect to how to get to the start – conflicting messages. However on race day, once I got on the tram, all was easy. A marching band played on the ferry. It was about 2-3 km walk to get to the start- which sends you off on the bridge from Asia to Europe right away. First five km and last two km are hilly with an uphill finish. The medal is lovely, but tshirts don’t come in women’s sizes and smallest is Men’s S – good for about a 140 pound person. Water, bananas and oranges available – no sport drink and coke only at 25 and 35 km. All in all a very worthwhile event!
Find a different way to see Istanbul
Istanbul Scenery was beautiful. Passed many land marks, and the marathon website will tell you what landmarks are at what miles so you know that you’re looking at! Very beautiful … MORE
Istanbul
Scenery was beautiful. Passed many land marks, and the marathon website will tell you what landmarks are at what miles so you know that you’re looking at! Very beautiful
Terrain- I must be out of shape, bc the terrain map is embarrassingly flat for what I felt like it was. There was a small portion that was on the old stone type surface. Very uneven. And it ends on a hill, for those two I gave it a 2.
Swag: a tech shirt… that didn’t even have the year on it!! But there were two spots you could personalize. One was an iron on location. The other was embroidery (you had to buy something- even a gel – from the decathlon store) that’s was free.
A medal.
Finished bag: tote with a few water bottles, banana, granola. Granola bar.
Production- man. This was a rough one.
1- transportation. It’s a one way race…. Over a bridge, with closed roads starting 3 h before start. So- you had to take public transportation. The race did a good job of giving detailed info on how to get there, and it was free for runner. But I stayed 10 moon walk from metro (a block from the finish line) left my place at 640 and got to the race start line by 830 for a 0900 start. I highly recommend double booking a room- by the start and finish (unless you don’t mind trekking back after- in which case stay at the start- which isn’t the old town area!)
Port a potties! 30 min before the start and they were NASTY! No TP, I think half the people missed the hole! Even the ones along the route were gross and without tp (mind you I was in the back of the crowd)
Aid stations – were about every 5k. Bottled water- which made for huge tripping hazards- oranges, and bananas. Some had sugar cubes, some had sponges. No electrolytes.
Personally- other than the appeal of a transcontinental run- not a race I would recommend. The terrible production did it in for me.
Def visit Istanbul though! Beautiful historic city.
Great destination marathon
Istanbul has a rich culture and history, making it a great destination to run a marathon. It is the only marathon that covers two continents, and running across the Bosporus … MORE
Istanbul has a rich culture and history, making it a great destination to run a marathon. It is the only marathon that covers two continents, and running across the Bosporus bridge – between Asia and Europe – was a highlight. The course has some inclines, both at the start and towards the finish – with the steepest being in the last 500 meters. Plenty of water stations with bottled water, and many with sponges, apples, bananas, and sugar cubes (no sport drinks). Route is mostly along the river, and while scenic, I don’t recall many prominent landmarks. It ends at the Hippodrome, fittingly the place of gladiators and chariot races. Very good crowd support in spots. Best part was experiencing Istanbul in the days leading up to the race, the food before and after, and treating myself to a post-race Turkish bath and massage. One hassle was that the exhibition hall to pick up the bib was a hard to reach by public transport, but we managed. Overall, a fun and unique cultural experience and a well-organized race where I did a personal best (after Vienna, Florence and NYC).
Good Experience
I went with Marathon Tours. I ran in Athens the week before. Istanbul is worth it if you like history. You stay steps from the Blue Mosque and the Hagia … MORE
I went with Marathon Tours. I ran in Athens the week before. Istanbul is worth it if you like history. You stay steps from the Blue Mosque and the Hagia Sophia. I stayed at the Ottoman, and it had a distinct odor in the hallways.
Bag placement was actually dangerous due crowds and the nuances of the drop off location, again extremely crowded.
You start by running over the Bosphorus Strait. This bridge is awesome. There is not much crowd support during the race and there was no professional photography. You end the race steps from the hotels, and the crowd support at the end is worth it, kind of like a slim gauntlet for 200 yards.