My marathons

Almaty Marathon

Run on 27 September 2026. Next race: date not out yet. Almaty
Almaty
Almaty. Photograph by Marat Rysbekov, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons

The course

The Almaty Marathon began in 2012 as a charity race with 2,500 starters and reached a record 17,000 participants in 2019.

The course in short 3 lines
  • Central Asia's first big road raceStarted 2012 with 2,500 runners, 17,000 in 2019.
  • The 2026 race: five distances on one morning27 September 2026: marathon limit 6 hours, half 3 hours.
  • Mountains on one side, climbs and descents on the streetMain streets below the Zailisky Alatau, long climbs, steep descents.
Course notes 3 short reads on the course
Whole courseLandmarkCentral Asia's first big road raceStarted 2012 with 2,500 runners, 17,000 in 2019.

The organiser calls it the first large running event in Central Asia. It joined AIMS in 2013, and in 2018 the routes were changed and certified to World Athletics standards. The Corporate Fund “Courage to be the First” has run it since the start, and its 2022 expansion brought a half marathon to Astana and a marathon to Turkistan.

Sourced

Whole courseTacticsThe 2026 race: five distances on one morning27 September 2026: marathon limit 6 hours, half 3 hours.

The marathon started at 07:30 and the half marathon at 07:45, with the 10 km at 06:00. The half marathon limit was 3 hours and the 10 km limit 2 hours. The relay uses the full 42 km 195 m distance, and the organiser required at least one woman on each team.

Sourced

Whole courseGradientMountains on one side, climbs and descents on the streetMain streets below the Zailisky Alatau, long climbs, steep descents.

The organiser’s own description pairs the mountain views with cheering spectators along the track. Its tracks are certified to World Athletics standards, and the race belongs to the TAN series of Turkic-peoples running events.

Sourced

Race fuel

Energy gel
An energy gel sachet
Illustration · drag to turn

5 gels for Almaty, plus 1 spare

Finish

One every 40 minutes, by the clock:

  1. km 7mile 4.4
  2. km 14.1mile 8.7
  3. km 21.1mile 13.1
  4. km 28.1mile 17.5
  5. km 35.2mile 21.8

Our pick: SiS BETA Fuel gel, box of 6, strawberry and lime. 40 g of carbohydrate a gel, about twice a usual gel, from two kinds of sugar your body takes up side by side.

Easy to forget on race morning: pack them with your bib the night before.

Get it on Amazon

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In Canada the button opens GU Energy Gel, Salted Caramel, 24-pack, the best seller there.

Outside the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Austria and Switzerland, the UK and Ireland, Spain and Portugal, Italy, the rest of the EU and Canada the button opens GU Energy Gel, Chocolate Outrage, 24-pack on Amazon.com, the best seller there.

Anti-chafe
Compeed Anti-blister stick
Photo: Compeed

Compeed

Compeed anti-blister stick, 8 ml

Best selling on Amazon amazon.nl, read 2 Nov

An invisible layer before the start keeps seams, straps and shoes from rubbing skin raw.

Put it on before you leave for the start: heels and toes, inner thighs, under a bra or heart-rate strap.

Try it on a long run first, like everything you use on race day.

Get it on Amazon

We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.

Number belt
A race number belt
Illustration · drag to turn

Compressport Race Belt

Holds your bib without safety pins through your top, with loops for up to 8 gels.

Clip the bib on the night before, so it goes on with your shorts in the morning.

Keep the number on the front, where officials and photographers can see it.

Get it on Amazon

We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.

Electrolytes
A tube of electrolyte tablets
Illustration · drag to turn

SiS Hydro electrolyte tablets, tube of 20

One tablet in a bottle puts back some of the salt you sweat out.

One tablet in 500 ml of water in the hour before the start.

Only if you have used them in training: nothing new on race day.

Get it on Amazon

We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.

Blister plasters
Compeed Blister plasters, medium, 6
Photo: Compeed

Compeed

Compeed blister plasters, medium, 6

Best selling on Amazon amazon.nl, read 2 Nov

One in a pocket cushions a blister if one starts.

Put it on clean, dry skin and leave it until it comes off by itself.

Give a couple to whoever comes to cheer, so they are there at the km you need them.

Get it on Amazon

We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.
distance
42.2 km26.2 mi

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