Shining in the heart of Siberia

There are many good reasons why you should come to Tomsk to run the Marathon: here are some of them…

Travelling to Siberia is cool: it is a huge and mysterious land, one of the most beautiful parts of Russia. There are boundless spaces, hundreds of miles of wild taiga, pristine waters of forest lakes, rare birds and animals — just seeing this wondrous beauty is worth the journey.

Eco-tourism gained great popularity in Siberia: come to run the marathon and at the same time discover this fascinating land for yourself.

Getting to Tomsk is easy. Flights and trains from all over the country arrive in Tomsk daily. Novosibirsk — a neighbouring city — has direct flights from Frankfurt, Prague, Dusseldorf, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Beijing, Istanbul, Dubai and other large international hubs.

Tomsk is the oldest and the most beautiful city in Siberia. Founded in 1604 the city is still carefully conserving its precious wooden architectural masterpieces decorated with the finest carved lattice work.

The old Baroque and Art Nouveau mansions of Russian merchants, white-stone churches and monasteries are stunning to behold. The Marathon course runs through the shady cobbled streets of this historical part of town.

Tomsk has its air of mystery that you may feel while running along its old stone-paved lanes — legend has it that they go over an ancient underground city. You will pass by the walls of the monastery where Tsar Alexander I of Russia lived and was buried. Legend has it that he faked his own death and moved to Tomsk as a hermit.

Tomsk is a young and active city. It is not only the cradle of Russian history but nowadays also a centre of education, science and innovation. All six Universities of Tomsk are among Russia’s leading academic institutions.

Tomsk State University — the oldest in Siberia — is among the top 100 Universities of the world training students from 64 countries. International students note that they are very comfortable in Tomsk and that they “feel at home”.

Siberians love guests. They are very hospitable and anyone can expect to find a warm welcome here. Tomsk Marathon welcomed runners and their supporters from 20 countries and 40 regions of Russia in 2019 and we expect to see many more overseas guests here in 2020. The Organising Committee is always happy to help travelling athletes and their supporters and provides support in visa issues, booking of accommodation and local tour programs.

You can stay in a luxurious 218-year-old colonnaded mansion, now a top-notch hotel, or you may choose to stay in the cosy Hunter’s House in the city centre. An architectural landmark, it recalls a Russian fairy tale Terem and will amaze you with its authentic look.
Restaurants in Tomsk serve delicious Siberian specialties: elk pelmeni (dumplings), pine-cone jam, bear steak with cranberry, milk mushroom and smoked sterlet. And of course you can find many worldwide chain restaurants here, like McDonald’s, PapaJohn’s, Burger King, Subway, KFC, Sbarro etc.

The Yarche Tomsk International Marathon is a full member of AIMS and was very excited to join the AIMS Children’s World Races Initiative. Our children’s race proudly bears the programme logo.

On times run Tomsk Marathon 2019 was the third strongest marathon in Russia. The organisers also host a 5km race, 42.2km and 21.1km relay races and 5km and 21.1km Nordic Walking races. The direction in which the course is run changes every year: it goes clockwise every odd year and counter-clockwise every even year.

The Pheidippides Club of Tomsk Marathon was formed for those who run it in under three hours and those coming for the second time are awarded a special commemorative medal. Participants receive an original Tomsk Marathon T-shirt and are offered free museum tours, concerts, workshops and open running tours around the city.

The weather at the time of the race is a pleasant 16–20C.

Register at: https://tomskmarathon.ru/en/