Baku Marathon 2016 will become an important event for Azerbaijan in terms of tourism, said the race director Pedro Nimo del Oro Apr.20 in Baku, a local TV channel reported.
Pedro Nimo said he admired Baku.
Many tourists come to Azerbaijan, he said, adding that it is great for an athlete to run along the seashore.
Further, the marketing director of the race, Parvin Gasimova said that over 3,000 people have already been registered for participation in the marathon.
Baku Marathon 2016 will be held May 1 at the initiative of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation.
The event's main goal is to assist the development of sports in Azerbaijan, promote healthy lifestyle, especially, among the youth, and bring them together for a good cause. The course of the Baku Marathon 2016 will cover a distance of 21 km from its start point (Flag Square) to finish line (Baku Olympic Stadium).
Baku's residents and guests, aged above 16, need to register in advance to participate in the marathon. For registration please visit www.bakumarathon.az or apply to special stands in the 28 Mall or Port Baku Mall.
For registration, all the applicants should fill out an application form and present the copy of ID cards (a copy student ID cards for students) and pay the participation fee. Individuals should pay 20 Azerbaijani manats, while corporate runners will pay 100 manats. Students can participate in the marathon for free.
To date, such marathons have been held in London, Paris, Boston, New York, Chicago, Berlin, Barcelona, Istanbul and other cities.
Marathons are also organized for charitable purposes. A charity marathon held in London in 1981 was included in the Guinness Book of Records as the largest annual fund raising event in the world.
The funds to be received from the Baku Marathon 2016 will be spent on the Heydar Aliyev Foundation's project for the children deprived of parental care.
The marathon winner will be awarded a prize of 3,000 manats, while those coming in second and third will get 2,000 and 1,000 manats, respectively.
trend.az