Istanbul Half Marathon 2026

You will be welcomed in Turkey like the Grand Vizier, in the vibrant city of Istanbul 👳‍♂️. Lace-up your sneakers 👟; we're waiting for you at the Istanbul Half Marathon! ✨ Straddling Europe and Asia, you'll start your run in lands rich with an unparalleled history and culture. Compete for the best time on one of the fastest half-marathon courses ⏱️, amidst iconic monuments and the stunning Bosphorus Strait! 🌊 This race is a perfect opportunity to embark on a journey through the history of our civilizations ⌛. The ancient city of Constantinople 🌍 will surely reveal its secrets, stride by stride! 🏃

You have 2 road race courses to choose from: 10 km and 21.0975 km 🤓. For its 21st edition, the Istanbul Half Marathon is back to break records! 💪 Last year, the event set a record for the number of participants, with over 14,000 athletes on the starting line! 👏 This year, it's your turn to break all records! 😝 With a straight-line course and an out-and-back format, this half-marathon is now recognized as a very fast race 🚀. The best part? No elevation changes to worry about! 😎 You'll be able to compete with the best and lengthen your strides without worrying about having to restart the engine 🚂. To further motivate you, the Countries Challenge was created 🌍: you can represent your country with other athletes to try to win an additional prize 👑. For several years, the race has attracted many elite runners, and the women's half-marathon world record was even broken on the Istanbul course in 2019 🏆. Both the 21 km and the 10 km will take you to explore the historic peninsula 🤗. You'll almost be able to touch it with your fingertips! 👆 On one side, the Sea of Marmara, the Bosphorus and the Golden Horn, and on the other, historical monuments recounting nearly 8,000 years of history 🤯. What more idyllic setting could you ask for? 🤩 You'll pass by the Blue Mosque 🕌, the Great Mosque of Aya Sofya, the Topkapi Palace, the Galata Bridge 🌉, and the Grand Bazaar (not the one in your room 😂). As you take each stride, you won't be able to resist admiring the spectacle of monuments passing before your eyes 😍.

Istanbul is not just about its monuments; the city has a generous heart too 🫶. The Istanbul Half Marathon, along with its big brother, the Istanbul Marathon, is one of the country's major charity races! 😍 Last year, charity bibs helped raise nearly 300,000 euros to support various causes 😇. Beyond breaking your personal time record, you should aim to break the record for the largest fundraising! 💰

If you didn't get the chance to enjoy the city of Istanbul because you went too fast 🏎️, you can always extend your stay for a weekend! 😁 You can visit the various monuments you've seen from the outside and learn more about ancient Byzantium (its name before Constantinople) 📖. It's time to put away your running shoes and enjoy a cruise on the Bosphorus 🛥️ or wander through the colorful and vibrant neighborhoods 🔥. As you stroll down a street, you might find yourself lost in the maze of the Grand Bazaar or arrive at a market 🍊, where you can taste local specialties like borek, dolma 🧆, or Turkish delights 🍡... There's no shortage of tasty treats! 😋 And if you start feeling tired 💤, numerous hammams are open for a relaxing moment 💆‍♂️ in a Turkish bath 🛀.

But before all that, will we see you at the starting line of the Istanbul Half Marathon? 🌛