Istanbul Marathon to go ahead on tailored anti-COVID course

The outcome was a decision to run the N Kolay 42nd Istanbul Marathon on 8 November with only 4000 42k runners on a “pandemic special” course.

Instead of the usual course that started with an intercontinental run on the 15th of July Martyrs Bridge on the Anatolian (Asian) side, this year it starts from the Yenikapı Event Area, which allows all participants to take full health and hygiene measures.

The 42K runners start in Yenikapı for the first time this year and tour the Historical Peninsula. After Dolmabahçe and Beşiktaş Barbaros Boulevard they cross the Bosporus from Europe to Asia and then back from Asia to Europe in the event’s first-ever double crossing.

Virtual races are being staged in parallel with the physical event.