Istanbul Marathon 2024 (46th Edition)

Specifically put the 46th edition because I am 46 this year , it was such a coincidence.  Sometimes, when I look back at my running adventures, I had been quite lucky in a little sense here and there.  I guess one of the more important thing to be is to be able to complete the race safely and soundly.

Was lucky again this time that although I cannot go for an Oceanman, I managed to find another marathon in the same region.  Its probably the only intercontinental race that cuts Asia to Europe.

As I am writing this, I realise I need a faster way to upkeep all my experiences fast.  I guess now I will probably upload the photos into Facebook page first to remember what to write.  Well back to Istanbul, I reach Turkey three days after the Venice marathon.   Still quite happy with the experience and also the short trip to Innsbruck.

Turkey In a Nutshell

My trip in Turkey did not start in Istanbul but Pammukale, the cotton castle is a destination which me and my brother used to dream of going as a bucket list.  These are terraces of calcite pools,  made of travertine, a sedimentary rock deposited by mineral water from the hot springs.  The place is very scenic due to these white terraces and clear blue water.  Its the only star attraction in the area, and also the recent hot air ballon rides.  The town of  Pammukale has nothing much, most of the tourist come here for the day trip to visit the cotton castle and the Herapolis, which is the olden ruin city behind of the white stretch of Pammukale.  But I  stayed there for 3 days 2 nights, it gets very cold at night.  There is a small airport nearby Denizili, which ferries tourist to the town of Pammuakle and Deizili.  The ride to the airport is about 1 hr and the shuttle cost about 13 Euro.

For Istanbul, there are many mosques and museums around.  It is a very busy city, but the place gives me mixed feeling of being in bustling Asia and the more structured Europe.  The monuments and moqsues are also a mixed feeling of being in Asea and Europe because the mosques look like that they are from European architecture.  Foodwise, they are very much like Mediterranean style, a lot of kebabs , grilled meat and stuff.  Being Muslim based, you will not see pork here, however, there are wines available and Turkey produces wine also.  I must say taking public transport to the city from the airport was rather long and needed quite a lot of change.  After a few days in Istanbul, I realise that their tram service was much convenient than taking the sub way too.

Race Pack collection

After reaching back to Istanbul, I decided to take public transport to head to my hotel which is very near to the famous Blue mosque and also the ending point for the race.  Since Venice I was not able to achieve by sub 4 target, I felt a little stressed and obliged to make it happen this time in Istanbul.  But then again I was rather tired already from all the travelling and the previous marathon which I sweated a lot.

I only collected the bib the second day as after I reach my hotel was really late at night.  The race pack collection was a convention centre by the Habour, Dr. Mimar Kadir Topbaş Gösteri ve Sanat Merkezi.  I think Turkish rather difficult to understand and I tried to learn a bit before coming but still couldn’ grasp the gist of the language.  The expo was spectacular with many talks and vendors selling sporting goods.  Each participant is given the Event tee and the drawstring drop bag for finishing.

Although the communication was not very clear in the first place.  Somehow all instructions were given out clearly right before the race and a trip to the expo helps to clear all the air for first time participants.

Race Time

The good thing is race starts at 9 plus in the morning for all these European races, which means we need not have to lose our sleep on top of all the time differences.  There were a few ways to get to the start point, either by bus or by ferry.  I chose the ferry this time just to remember how it was like in last year’s NYC marathon, the pick up was from Eminou Ferry terminal and I could get there just by a tram ride from the Blue Mosque station.  There was already quite a long queue there when I arrived, the cold wind was blowing and the weather was pretty cold.  This time I used the plastic bag covering my backpack for check in at the airport, so its like a recycle of the bag.  It fits me well and kind of break the wind and prevent myself from the cold,  the best part is that it is also waterproof.

While waiting for the boat, I met a Russian lady who was doing her first marathon.  Her name is Nadia and she lives in Dubai, she was on vacation here in Istanbul and she wanted to try out the marathon.  So she signed up, its not her first time here so she was able to navigate the place pretty well.  We chatted and when we arrive, there were buses to pick us up to go to the start point which was just a short distance away from the bridge that links Asia to Europe.  The crowd was excited and the start point was filled with trance DJ music.  There were also trucks for us to leave our bag drop items so that it can be ferried to the Blue Mosque ( also known as the Sultan Ahmed Mosque ) which is the ending point.

The Route

Will all the DJ music pumping and the cold wind blowing while the runners face the bridge… I must say it was kinda bizzare experience.  After we put our stuff with the trucks, Nadia went to her Pen while I chose a slower pace pen thinking I will not be able to do a good timing.

 

However, then the gun sounded off, I felt the adrenalin rushing in and somehow, I felt in a better condition today compared to a week ago at Venice.  I decided to try for my best since the weather was also gloomy and pretty cold, so I do not literally sweat that much.  Profuse sweating is another new thing I have to cope with which I think was due to the covid period.  Not sure why but I really have to think about losing water and getting more tired compared to last time.  Good thing is cramping is still yet to set in for now.

Overall, this race has very good route, I only encountered 2 times of slopes, and they are rather gradual.  The whole course reminded me of Guam marathon where it was windy by the sea.  Same here after we cross over to the European side, it was all the way down along the coastal road, you get to see some more sights and mosques. But overall the road closure was good, we had a good three to four lane high way all to ourselves to run therefore there was no human jam.  Running beside the sea also makes it breezy and cooling.  I would say the water points were also well stocked and all had some fruits and biscuits.  Before I got carried away, I realise I might have the chance to do a sub 4 marathon, so I started to pick up my speed after the U turn point, which is literally the same route back but ending into the Blue Mosque.

I could feel the legs getting tired but the good thing was the feet pain was not prominent this time.  The last 1.5 Km was tricky as it was all cobblestone, but the scenery was nice as it was the Blue Mosque area with nice gardens and even passed the Big Bazzar market.  Towards the last part, I was literally giving it all out but I already know it was 4 hours.  I ended with 04:01hr.  Not too bad I personally felt and it gave me hope that I will be able to do better next time.

This time I felt a stronger ending not too over exhausted and also just a little light headed, the legs were also okay not too painful despite a thinner pair of Vibram.  The idea of ditching Vibrams came up my mind again, but I am seriously not sure about transiting back to normal shoes also.  Well , we shall see.

Ending it

The ending part was really scenic, although the ending arch was not very fancy but it does have a very nice view of the Blue Mosque, the runners will have to keep moving to the back where the medal will be given and also refreshments.  The volunteers were all very friendly and full of energy.  A lot of people just laze around the park to rest after getting their drop bag, the drop bag collection was a little chaotic but still not too bad, at least I did not lose my stuff.  The coincidental thing was when I came back, Nadia was just a little infront of me! We managed to reunite again.  After that we went for a meal and also a beer!  It was a good time to catch up with her before I head on back to the hotel to pack up and head to the airport for my night flight.  Overall, highly recommend this race just like Guam!