On 19 April, Almaty will host the Almaty Half Marathon organised by «Courage to be the First» Corporate Fund for the ninth time. The spring run will gather over 10,000 participants from 44 countries worldwide.
The following distances will be available for the runners: Half Marathon — 21.1 km, 10-km race, 10-km Nordic Walking and Ekiden Relay. The half marathon is open to runners aged 18 and older, while runners as young as 15 may participate in all other distances. The track runs across the picturesque streets of Almaty, offering stunning mountain views. It starts in the First President’s Park on Al-Farabi Avenue, and finishes at the Central Stadium.
In total, the run will welcome over 10,000 people from 44 countries worldwide, of which almost 800 are foreign runners. Among the most widely represented countries are the near abroad countries such as Russia, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan. Participants will come from Europe, Asia, North America, Australia and Africa, including France, Germany, Canada, South Korea, Japan, Australia and South Africa as well.
The run is organised by «Courage to be the First» Corporate Fund, which has been organising the largest running event in Central Asia – the Almaty Marathon and other mass starts since 2012. The Fund’s races are included in the calendar of the Association of International Marathons and Distance Races integrating over 445 events in 115 countries, and the half marathon track is certified in accordance with the World Athletics’ standards.
Galimzhan Yessenov, Chairman of the Board of Trustees at «Courage to be the First» Corporate Fund
Beyond our high organisational standards and international status, we pay special attention to the Project’s values – promoting mass sports, encouraging a mindful approach to running, and fostering a culture of regular exercises. We conduct free open training sessions to help our participants to prepare for the run in a safe and systematic manner, develop a volunteer movement and support the initiatives to decrease the infant disability rate.
Аccording to the Impact of the Almaty Marathon on City Economics study held in 2024, the marathon has a noticeable effect on Almaty’s economy. Approximately 1000 participants shop for an amount of about 8 million tenge over two days. Tax payments by the partner companies over four years have grown from 318.9 to 873.9 million tenge. The city has a stable running ecosystem: around 40 running clubs currently operate in Almaty with the constantly developing infrastructure in catering, medicine and sports outfits. International interest toward the marathon is also proved at the study-level: the Almaty Marathon was covered by the Almaty tourism attractiveness study conducted by Mastercard together with Almaty Tourism Bureau. The study highlights a direct impact of large events on tourism and spending growth.
This year, the Almaty Marathon will be held on 27 September and will gather 16,000 participants. Every year a portion of funds raised from participants’ entry fees is donated to charity: since 2012, more than 30 social and medical projects have been implemented for the amount exceeding KZT 300 million. Registration is already open on the website.
