Thousands run in Istanbul's intercontinental marathon

Duvar English

Thousands of people have run in an intercontinental marathon in Istanbul, with athletes from around the world also competing.

Being the world's only intercontinental marathon, the Vodafone 41st Istanbul Marathon kicked off early on Nov. 3 with Turkish Youth and Sports Minister Mehmet Muharrem Kasapoğlu and Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu making speeches before the event.

A total of 63 elite athletes joined the marathon, which began from Istanbul's Asian side and ended in the European part of the city with the slogan "Istanbul is yours. Don’t stop, run!"

Sponsored by world-famous British telecommunication conglomerate Vodafone, the sports event has four categories -- 42.2-kilometer marathon, 15-km run, 8-km FunRun as well as a wheelchair competition.

Runners from 106 countries competed in the race, as thousands of people attended the 8-km FunRun.

The finish line is located in the historic Sultanahmet Square on the city’s European side.

Kenyan athlete Daniel Kipkore Kibet won men's title by breaking the 42 km Istanbul Marathon track record while Ethiopian athlete Hirut Tibebu won women's title.

The winners of the 2019 marathon in men's and women's categories are set to earn $50,000 each. In the Turkish athlete's category, winners in both genders will bag 50,000 Turkish liras each.

The Istanbul marathon has been in the Gold Label Road Races list of the international governing body for athletics since 2012.