A marathon in which our athlete participated, organized by the Balkan Countries Friendship Group Youth and Sports Club Association, saw the participation of 150 foreigners and 1022 total athletes.
In the marathon, covering distances of 21 kilometers and 10 kilometers, competitors traversed the Pazarkule Border Gate, Meriç and Tunca bridges, and Selimiye Mosque, concluding at the endpoint, the Lozan Monument.
Dilan Atak claimed victory in the 21-kilometer race for women with a time of 1 hour 22 minutes, while Ethiopian athlete Fetene Alemu Regasa won the men's category with a time of 1 hour 8 minutes.
In the 10-kilometer race, Tanya Dimitrova from Bulgaria (38.59) secured first place for women, and Abdullah Tuğluk (32.44) claimed victory for men.
Ethiopian athlete Fetene Alemu Regasa, the winner of the 21-kilometer race, resides in Kütahya and is a graduate of Dumlupınar University's Faculty of Physical Education and Sports.
Expressing his admiration for the city, Regasa stated, "I liked the city very much, and next week I will participate in a race in Konya. I felt that I would win the race, and I have respect for everyone wearing shorts."
Our 27-year-old athlete, para-athlete Burak Tetik, who participated from Bursa, competed in the 10-kilometer race.
Completing the race with a time of 1 hour and 10 minutes, Burak Tetik expressed his great happiness, mentioning that this was his 51st race.
Elif Kurtulmuş Akbaş, who ran with her 16-month-old baby Can, mentioned her previous wheelchair races in support of spinal cord injury patients. She added that participating with her baby on Mother's Day added an extra excitement, saying, "I'm an ultra-marathon runner, and I didn't struggle much."