Recap of the Istanbul Marathon

At least it wasn’t too hot. That’s what I was thinking to myself as I lined up for the 15 km run this past Sunday. We all stood, ostensibly stretching but more like hopping from one foot to the other, as they readied the Bosphorus Bridge for the thousands of runners that would soon descend upon it. In true Turkish fashion there were simit sellers and an elaborate mobile çay stand. The speakers reverberated with muddled voices, sounding like the parents from Charlie Brown (womp womp womp). And, most importantly, the weather was cool and crisp – perfect for a run.

 Will this race ever thin out? That’s what crossed my mind as we trundled down Barbaros Caddesi and onto the sahil yolu. The runners filled the street, and then some. A few impatient folk even took to the tramway tracks. There were stops and starts, and shouts and cheers. But all the runners kept moving forward as a whole, like those schools of fish that swim in the shape of one big creature.

Maşallah! That word alone (maybe without the exclamation point, as I was running on empty at this point) continued to cycle through my head as those of us running the 15 km turned back and the marathon runners kept on. This was the longest race I’ve run to date, and it reinforced just how badass marathon runners truly are; they have my utmost respect. My only regret was that the marathon ended in a different spot (up the hill in Sultanahmet, where my tired legs stubbornly refused to walk).

Luckily, one of Yabangee’s talented photographers, Sveta Nekrasova, was able to document the race. We at Yabangee raise our glasses to all those who raced this past weekend, whether it was the marathon, the 15 km, the 10 km or the fun run. Take a look through Sveta’s snapshots to relive the day or check out what you were missing — you know that we’ll be announcing when registration is open for next year’s race.