In 2024, the Samarkand Marathon series of international charity races celebrates its fifth anniversary. The first event of this year will be the International Ultra Marathon Zaamin Ultra 2024, according to the press service of the organizer, Uzbekistan Art and Culture Development Foundation.
Zaamin Ultra 2024 will be held in Zaamin National Nature Park on 1 and 2 June. The track is located at altitudes ranging from 2200 to 2500 meters above sea level, approximately equivalent to six Tashkent TV towers.
“This year we are celebrating the fifth anniversary of the Samarkand Marathon series of international charity runs. Since its inception, we have presented our events as a festival dedicated to sport, culture and art that brings together participants from all over the world in Uzbekistan. We are developing the entire series and are constantly working to make the events larger and more interesting, to attract new audiences, including young people from all over the country,” said Gayane Umerova, chairperson of Uzbekistan Art and Culture Development Foundation.
The following highlights await participants and guests at the festival:
- A unique mountain track and landscapes of Zaamin National Park.
- Family-friendly entertainment: rock climbing, hot air balloon rides overlooking the Suffa Plateau.
- A concert of electronic music on the eve of the race in the evening.
A new environmental tradition will be introduced to the charity run series this year: plogging. Participants will conclude the two-day festival with a collective run combined with litter picking. This initiative aims to foster unity and preserve the natural beauty of the park.
The routes:
50K: Offers panoramic views of the plateau, Turkestan, and Malguzar ranges, reaching 2500 meters above sea level with an elevation gain of 1535 meters.
21K: Half-marathoners traverse 21 km with a total elevation gain of 635 meters, passing by Kattashir, Kyzylmazar, and Obikul streams.
10K: Participants enjoy views of Kyzylmazar mountain stream and Chortanga Canyon entrance, with climbs reserved for the last kilometers of an exhilarating finish, totaling 370 meters in altitude gain.
2K: Ideal for novice mountain runners, this route showcases the starting camp and Kattashir Mountain Creek.
On the eve of the race on 1 June, an outdoor electronic music concert will feature local DJs and the Qaraqoom project. It combines ethnic sounds of Central Asian peoples and contemporary electronic music across genres like organic house, progressive house, and techno.
Register for the marathon following the link.
