Although predictions had called for a sunny morning, April 26 turned out to be a dreary day with clouds and slight showers. Nevertheless, many Istanbulites woke up on this rainy Sunday for the Istanbul Half Marathon. Although it may not be as popular as its counterpart the Istanbul Marathon, which is held in November every year, the Istanbul Half Marathon is an event that is bound to gain more traction in the coming years.
Previously known as the Golden Horn Half Marathon, the race was established in 1987 but took a hiatus from 1993 to 2010. The marathon takes place – not surprisingly – on the Golden Horn. There is no bridge to cross, but the track follows the Marmara Sea on one side and Istanbul’s history on the other, starting from Yenikapi running through Eminönü, up to Topkapi Palace and back on the same route. Runners had the option of joining a 10K or the full half marathon (21 km). This year Vodafone – the main sponsor of the Istanbul marathon – sponsored the half marathon as well. Another visible sponsor was Adidas, which constructed a yellow ‘Boost’ tunnel that screamed pre-recorded encouragements to help runners get through the last 3 kms of the race.
The day began with a warm up stretching session; the group in front of the host on stage seemed the most energized, with the energy falling as we pulled further away from this area. Many running clubs from cities outside Istanbul, such as Ankara and Iznik, were seen conducting their own stretches. Contrasting them were groups from schools and colleges which mostly walked towards the back of the marathon with banners, more with the spirit of representing than running a race. And of course, for each stretch there were at least two selfies taken on the ground!
The race started after a drone equipped with cameras swooped down to give the runners up front a chance to wave and smile without the after-run sweat. The race course itself was fairly calm, lined with changing colors of tulips against the greyish-blue of the sea. Despite the huge speakers at several points blasting Turkish pop and the slightly disheartening feeling you get when you see professionals making their way back when you are only at the 3 km point, it was a fairly relaxing run. Not surprisingly, the professionals from Kenya were the ones who won the race; they had cameras focused intently on their face for the duration of the run.
The bottom line is the half marathon is definitely worth it, a Sunday well spent between the sea, tulips, history and runners of all levels and ages.
Neeha Mujeeb is a contributor to Yabangee
Featured Image Source: Vodafone Istanbul Half Marathon
