N KOLAY ISTANBUL MARATHON ON 6th NOVEMBER: Istanbul targets Turkish All-comers’ Record

This is the story on the N KOLAY ISTANBUL MARATHON, by Race News Service, which will be held on November 6, 2022.

Istanbul Marathon targets Turkish Allcomers’ Record.

The course record and the Turkish all-comers record will be targeted at the N Kolay Istanbul Marathon on 6th November. To achieve these goals, the men’s race organizers have put together an elite field with very good strength in depth. Seven men are on the start list who feature personal bests of sub 2:08. Bahrain’s Marius Kimutai heads the current list with a time of 2:05:47. In the women’s race, Kenyan Agnes Barsosio is the fastest on paper with a PB of 2:20:59. Turkey’s premier marathon race, which uniquely starts on the Asian side of the Bosphorus and then leads the runners over the July 15 Martyrs Bridge into the European part of the city, will be staged in Istanbul for the 44th time. A total of 60,000 runners are expected to take part, including races at shorter distances.

“The world’s only intercontinental marathon is being conducted for the 44th time. In the race, which starts in Asia and ends in Europe with the bridge connecting two continents, the participants enjoy Istanbul, the Bosphorus, and the historical peninsula of the 2000-year-old city with its finish in Sultanahmet Square, the historical center of Istanbul. A fast race is anticipated among the elite athletes competing in the race,“ said Renay Onur, the Race Director from Spor Istanbul. His organizing team achieved a remarkable feat by staging the N Kolay Istanbul Marathon and its sister race, the N Kolay Istanbul Half Marathon, throughout the pandemic in 2020 and 2021 with an exceptional effort. Both events are Elite Label Road Races of World Athletics, the international athletics federation.

Back in 2019, Kenyan Daniel Kibet established the current record of 2:09:44, while Turkey’s all-comers record currently stands at 2:09:27. These are the times organizers had in mind when they assembled the men’s elite field. Former Kenyan Marius Kimutai ran his PB of 2:05:47 when he was third in Amsterdam in 2016. On two more occasions, the 29-year-old achieved times faster than 2:07. Competing for Bahrain for the first time, he took the Rotterdam Marathon with 2:06:04 in 2017, and a year ago, he finished sixth in Barcelona with 2:06:54. Two other athletes on Istanbul’s start list have run sub 2:07 times: Kenya’s Samuel Kosgei, who is the former 25k world record holder…