Kazbegi Marathon
| Kazbegi Marathon | |
|---|---|
 Kazbegi Marathon Logo | |
| Date | September 5, 2015 |
| Location | Kazbegi, Georgia |
| Event type | Mountain running |
| Distance | Marathon, Half Marathon |
Kazbegi Marathon is an annual marathon held in Georgia during the month of September. The marathon courses through the Caucasus Mountains in the northern part of the country, the starting and finishing points are in the town of Kazbegi located on the historical military road on the foot of Kazbegi Mountain. The Kazbegi Marathon is both the largest as well as the first racing event held in the Caucasus and includes four track lengths: full marathon, half marathon, 8km fun run and relay race on 42km distance. The organizer of Kazbegi Marathon is "Tourist Agency Visit Georgia" Ltd. The marathon is marketed to an international audience, previous races attracting participants from Germany, England, Japan and Israel. Many local runners, from the neighboring Armenia and Azerbaijan participate as well.
Track
The race takes the Start at A. Kazbegi Museum. Runners will first cross Kazbegi center and after running the bridge over Tergi River follow the uphill to the village Gergeti and Gergeti Trinity Church. From the church one can enjoy the breathtaking views of the Great Caucasus Mountains. Runners will then follow the downhill of narrow gorges to the village Gergeti and continue their race along the River Tergi towards the village Karkucha. They will run through the villages Pansheti, Arsha and continue to the village Achkhoti. Crossing the village, runners will follow the secondary roads through the priming surface to the beautiful Sno Gorge towards the village Sno, later along the River Snostkali they’ll reach the villages Akhaltsikhe and Karkucha. The runners continue running till the rise of Juta village, after that runners take the same way back to the village Achkhoti and the following 2km they’ll run in a field, next 3km – along the highway, afterwards in the streets of Stepantsminda town. Runners will have to run through a short marshy distance (100m) and the last kilometer will follow the alleys of Kazbegi itself.
The race's starting time is 09:00 am
History
Kazbegi Marathon is an initiative of an Israeli touring company, which dates back to February 2010. The first Kazbegi Marathon took place on September 10, 2010, in which over 150 international runners participated. The second Kazbegi Marathon took place exactly one year later, attracting 300 participants, among them the British and Swiss ambassadors in Georgia.
In 2014, Kazbegi Marathon had the 5th anniversary.
Next Kazbegi Marathon will be held on 5th in September, 2015.
Photographs
-
The Race
-
The Race
-
The Race
-
Mt. Kazbegi and the Trinity Church