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The 11th International Edirne Marathon was held under the theme "Malazgirt Victory" to commemorate the 955th anniversary of the Battle of Malazgirt, bringing together 1071 athletes from 16 countries.
Organized by the Balkan Countries Friendship Group Youth and Sports Club Association, the marathon took place at Selimiye Square, where athletes danced to music ahead of the event.
Following a moment of silence and the reading of the Turkish national anthem, Edirne Provincial Director of Youth and Sports Selim Ak gave the start signal for the marathon at 7:00 a.m. local time (4:00 a.m. GMT).
Athletes competed on 21-kilometer (13.05-mile), 10-kilometer (6.21-mile) and 5-kilometer (3.11-mile) courses depending on their category.
On the 21-kilometer course, runners crossed the Tunca and Meric bridges and passed through the Karaagac neighborhood and the Pazarkule border gate before reaching the finish line.
Some athletes took part in the race pushing children in strollers, while others ran alongside their dogs.
Speaking to reporters, 80-year-old Ahmet Poyraz advised young people to take up sport, saying: "I ran 10 kilometers without stopping at all. I looked and saw young people walking while I was running. How are they, the young ones?" Poyraz said he loves the International Edirne Marathon course and noted that he has taken part in the event for four years.
Emrullah Bayraktar, 76, said that people his age often spend their time in front of the television at home or at coffeehouses. Saying that he takes part in marathons to stay fit, Bayraktar said: "I do walks and runs. I train at least twice a week. It motivates me, and I also get good results. I would like to see more people my age taking part."
Murat Yalcintas, who also ran in the marathon, said this was his second time taking part in the International Edirne Marathon. "This event contributes both to promoting Edirne and to Turkish sport," he said. "I ran together with my friends. Everyone should take part in a marathon. This year, the proportion of foreign participants was really almost equal to that of local participants. That, of course, is a great source of happiness for us."
In the 21-kilometer race, Greek athlete Pelagia Diamantaki won the women's category with a time of 1:41:51, while Umit Er won the men's category with a time of 1:16:48.
In the 10-kilometer race, Derya Kose finished first among women with a time of 39:42, while Nuh Asci won the men's race with a time of 36:26.
Umit Er, winner of the 21-kilometer race, told reporters that he placed fifth in the masters category at the World Half Marathon Championship held in South Korea last week.
Saying that he loves the sport, Umit said, "Even though I started at the age of 40, I've become a champion in my age group in every competition I've taken part in Türkiye. I'm currently the Türkiye champion. Last week, I also represented my country in South Korea. It's great; I recommend running to young people. Age doesn't matter; I started athletics at 40, I'm now 50, and I run very comfortably."
Athletes were given medals crafted using traditional Turkish tile art, featuring Edirne's historic landmarks, architectural structures, and tulip motifs.
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