Azernews.Az

By Amina Nazarli

More than 13,000 runners joined the fantastic and fast Baku Marathon 2017 in the capital under the motto ''Win the wind!'' this Sunday.

Prominent public and political figures, sportsmen, members of general public and students gathered at the Flag Square to overcome a distance of 21 kilometers (half marathon), which finished at Baku Olympic Stadium.

Vice-president of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation Leyla Aliyeva and Arzu Aliyeva participated in the Baku Marathon 2017.

Participants representing the United States, Russia, the Great Britain, Germany, Turkey, Iran and other countries attended the marathon.

The marathon was preceded by a ceremony to award media representatives for their role in coverage of last year's event.

The marathon, that founds a basis of a new culture in the sport history of Azerbaijan, mostly encourages sports and healthy lifestyle among young people. The marathon was open to anyone above the age of 16 upon registration, including both local residents and guests of the country.

The funds to be raised by the marathon will be spent to finance the Heydar Aliyev Foundation`s project to help children deprived of parental care.

Awards for Baku Marathon-2017 were granted in two categories. Winners of the first places in both men's and women's categories were awarded 3,000 manat ($1,778), whereas the second and third place winners got 2,000 ($1,185) and 1,000 manat ($592) respectively along with gifts, medals and certificates.

Besides the three major winners among men and women, fourth, fifth and sixth place winners in both categories got a tourist voucher for two persons to any European country of their choice. Those finishing seventh and eighth in both categories were remunerated by the sponsors of Baku Marathon-2017, whereas holders of ninth and tenth places got a 100 manat gift card each.

Turkish citizen Veysi Aslan became first among men, while Turkish Yayla Kilic grabbed the top position among women at the Baku Marathon-2017.

“I think that this event is a great pride for Azerbaijan,” said Aslan. "The Baku Marathon has been perfectly organized and, by preserving this level, it will be possible to attract world-class athletes in the future.”

Female Ukrainian runner Valentina Poltavskaya came in second, while Iranian citizen Persina Arap settled for third place.

Male Turkish citizen Uzeyir Soylemez reached the final second, while Russian runner Vladislav Demyanov came in third.

Education Minister Mikayil Jabbarov commenting on the sporting event held in the capital for the second time said that Baku Marathon is a competition of solidarity.

The minister assessed the Baku Marathon as a wonderful event, which promotes a healthy lifestyle, and praised it for the place it has taken in the sports life of the Azerbaijani capital.

The fact that the number of participants in the second marathon has doubled shows how successful this initiative is, he noted.

Speaking of the event, Head of Azerbaijan’s State Security Service, Lieutenant-General Madat Guliyev said that Baku Marathon is a very important event for Azerbaijani people.

“This event is very important for our people. The Baku Marathon encourages people, including young people, to move to a healthy lifestyle,” he noted.

To date, similar marathons have been held in London, Paris, Boston, New York, Chicago, Berlin, Barcelona, Istanbul and other cities.

The first marathon in Baku involved more than 7,000 people last year. A full marathon covers a distance of 42 kilometers, while a half-marathon is 21 kilometers.

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Amina Nazarli is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @amina_nazarli

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