Turkey is one of the few countries on our planet that is located on two different continents.
The country with its 80 million inhabitants is especially fond of sports such as soccer, boxing, basketball, wrestling and, surprisingly, horseback riding.
In athletics, Turkish athletes are regularly represented in the medal ranks, especially in continental championships. However, this is also due to the fact that Turkey naturalizes many long-distance runners from Africa who have little connection with the country. Sprinters from North and Central America have also been "signed up" and won medals for the country.
The biggest running events in Turkey
In total, there are two major marathons in Turkey that are also regularly booked by runners outside the country. An absolutely unique experience is the Istanbul Marathon, where the course even crosses the two continents of Europe and Asia. This does not exist at any other marathon event on our planet. This extraordinary marathon has been held since 1979, with nearly 2,000 people competing in the marathon.
While the marathon in Istanbul is run towards the end of the year, at the Antalya Marathon you can hunt for a personal best time very early in the year. However, the marathon field is much smaller than in Istanbul.
Other recommendations in Turkey
The biggest triathlon is the IRONMAN 70.3 Turkey in Belek, which takes place in November over the middle distance. An exciting ultratrail is the Likya Yolu Ultra Maratonu. The longest competition has a distance of 170 kilometers. You can also face a great challenge at the Salomon Cappadocia Ultra Trail. Here, the longest distance is almost 120 kilometers with 4,000 meters of altitude.
All Running Races in Turkey (sorted by date) can be found in the following overview:
Running competitions 2026 in Turkey
Salomon Cappadocia Ultra-Trail
 | 17.10.2026 ✔ |
| |
 | Urgup |
 | 119 km (3.730 Hm) / 63 km (2.030 Hm) / 38 km (1.120 Hm) |
Go to the running calendar Turkey
More sports in Turkey:
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