PHOTOS: More than 3,000 people participated in Erbil International Marathon

Kurdistan 24 2023/10/27 16:56

Contestants posing for a photo, Oct. 27, 2023. (Photo: Kurdistan 24)

The 10th Marathon consisted of three distances, a 42-kilometer full marathon, a 12-kilometer-long run, and a 2-kilometer family run, with separate races based on gender.

Kurdistan Marathon Erbil International Marathon

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The 10th annual Erbil International Marathon commenced on Friday at Sami Abdulrahman Park.

Contestants proudly displaying the Kurdistan Region flag, Oct. 27, 2023. (Photo: Kurdistan 24)

This year, the event bore the theme "Sports Unite Us," with at least 4,000 people participating in the event.

The Erbil Marathon Organization for Sport and Peace is a non-governmental, non-profit sports organization founded in April 2015.

Aside from the local population, foreign nationals took part as well, including members of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

Contestants begin running as the race begins, Oct. 27, 2023. (Photo: Kurdistan 24)

The organization aims to arrange sports activities, whilst using them as a tool for spreading peace and non-violence in the community.

Contestants running during the marathon, Oct. 27, 2023. (Photo: Kurdistan 24)

The 10th Marathon consisted of three distances, a 42-kilometer full marathon, a 12-kilometer-long run, and a 2-kilometer family run, with separate races based on gender.

The marathon was held for the first time in 2011. Notably, the event was canceled in certain years over the last decade due to crises in the Kurdistan Region, such as the War on ISIS and the COVID-19 pandemic.

A contestant running during the marathon, Oct. 27, 2023. (Photo: Kurdistan 24)

A volunteer of the Erbil Marathon Organization posing for a photo Oct. 27, 2023. (Photo: Kurdistan 24)