Almaty Marathon
Template:Infobox Athleticrace The Almaty Marathon (Template:Lang-kz) is an annual marathon race held in either April or May in the Central Asian city of Almaty, Kazakhstan. The first edition of the race, in 2012, had 2500 total participants; that grew to more than 19,000 from over 40 countries in the 2015 edition.<ref name="about">http://www.almaty-marathon.kz/en/about/</ref><ref name="news">http://en.tengrinews.kz/show_and_style/Almaty-Marathon-starts-online-registration-for-2016-261523/</ref>
The marathon weekend has five events: individual races at 3 km, 10km, a half-marathon (21 km), a full marathon (42 km), and an ekiden-style marathon relay.
The Almaty Marathon is a member of the Association of International Marathons and Distance Races (AIMS).<ref>http://aimsworldrunning.org/Directory.htm#KAZ</ref> Profits from the race go toward supporting public works projects and charities in Kazakhstan.<ref name="about"/>
Course
The marathon course starts at the Park of the First President in Almaty. It proceeds along Al-Farabi Avenue and the Eastern Bypass Road. After making a U-turn, the course returns past the start line and along Sain Street to Abay Avenue. The race finishes with a 300m run within the Central Stadium.<ref>http://astanatimes.com/2015/11/online-registration-opens-for-almaty-marathon/</ref>
Climate
Almaty is located at an elevation of 900m, with typical temperatures between 11 and 16 C in April. Temperature inversions in the valley between the Trans-Ili Alatau can trap smog, making for difficult running conditions.
Winners
Key: Template:Legend2
| Year | Men's winner | Time (h:m:s) | Women's winner | Time (h:m:s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Template:Flagathlete | 2:42:58 | Template:Flagathlete | 2:56:06 |
| 2015 | Template:Flagathlete | 2:35:51 | Template:Flagathlete | 2:52:18 |
| 2014 | Template:Flagathlete | 2:36:21 | Template:Flagathlete | 2:49:52 |
| 2013 | Template:Flagathlete | 2:30:40 | Template:Flagathlete | 2:45:37 |
Benefits
A primary goal of the marathon is to raise funds for charities in Kazakhstan. In 2012 and 2013, funds went to support a program for rehabilitation of children with infantile cerebral paralysis, including the construction of a therapeutic swimming center. Over 2.7 million tenge in total were raised and sent to the Ardi Fund.<ref>http://www.almaty-marathon.kz/en/charity/</ref> In 2014, money from the marathon went to buy an ambulance for the Children’s Oncological Department of the Pediatrics and Children Surgery Research Center in Almaty.<ref>http://www.runsociety.com/2014/10/09/almaty-marathon-run-and-raise-funds-for-charity-in-wonderful-kazakhstan/</ref>
