2nd Baku Marathon Attracts International Crowd

Baku hosted its second annual half-marathon on Sunday, which attracted over 13,000 residents and tourists alike.

“The Baku Marathon is a wonderful event, which promotes a healthy lifestyle, and has already taken its place in the sports life of Baku,” said Azerbaijan’s Education Minister Mikayil Jabbarov to a crowd and kicking off the event.

The 21 kilometer race, headlined with the slogan “Win the Wind,” began at National Flag Square alongside the Caspian Sea, and ended at Baku National Stadium.

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Foreign residents and tourists in attendance included those from Russia, Iran, the US, UK, Germany and other countries.  

Turkey was well represented, as both the men’s and women’s races were won by Turkish nationals. Veysi Aslan took first place, while his compatriot Uzeyir Soylemez came in second. Vladislav Dimyanov, from Russia, came in third.

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Yayla Kiriç Ali claimed the top spot in the women’s competition, while Russia’s Valentina Poltovskaya came in second and Iran’s Pevsina Arab reached the finish line third. 

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Elman Bakuvi, a 27-year old from Baku who participated in the race, said the Baku Marathon does a good job at promoting Azerbaijan’s brand and multicultural character, attractive especially with foreign tourists.

“One of the major points of the Baku Marathon was that there were a lot of tourists among participants in addition to our local people,” Bakuvi told Caspian News. “Some of them came to Azerbaijan specifically for this event,” he said, adding that this year’s race attracted a larger gathering than the last.

Last year’s race, held on May 1, saw over 7,000 participants, including approximately 500 tourists from Spain, France, Russia, Kazakhstan, India, Saudi Arabia and other countries. 

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A representative from the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, which sponsored the race organized by Sports Marketing Group, told Caspian News that it expects to hold a third race next year, although the exact date and time has yet to be determined.

Other big running events in the Caspian region are scheduled for later this year. Moscow, Russia and Astana, Kazakhstan will play host races in September, while Tbilisi, Georgia will host a marathon in October.