Approximately 10,000 persons are expected to take part in the second International Marathon that will take place in Chisinau on April 17. According to the organizers, about 3,000 participants from 40 countries such as Portugal, Japan and New Zealand already registered on the official website. The organizational committee calls on the population to join in the event so as to promote a healthy lifestyle and to contribute to developing the amateur sports in Moldova.
The main organizer of the Chisinau International Marathon Roman Stirbu, in a news conference at IPN on February 22, said that anyone can take part in this event. The eldest of the participants registered so far is a 70-year-old man from Finland, while the youngest one is a boy aged five.
The participants in the marathon can run four distances - 3, 10, 21 and 42 km. According to the organizers, the shortest race, which is free of charge, will not be metered. There are no age limits for the participants in this race. The 10 km race is intended for runners older than 16. The free for taking part in this race is 200 lei. The same fee will be paid by those willing to run the distance of 21 km, which is known as semi-marathon. Those who will run the 42 km race or the marathon will pay 400 lei. Only the persons who came of age can take part in the last two races.
Roman Stirbu said all the participants will receive by a set that includes an individual number with an electronic chip for metering the time, an official T-shirt and the map of the race routes with the detailed description of the program of the event. Food units will be set up along the routes. If need be, the runners will also benefit from medical care.
The head of the NGO “Sporter” Dmitry Voloshin said those who want to take part in the marathon can register on the website www.marathon.md until April 15. If there is some urgency, the participants can also register in the morning of the marathon, but there is a risk that there will be no available places. The applicants can take part in training alongside professionals free of charge. Individual training is available for money.
The marathon goes through the main streets of Chisinau, while the start and the finish are in the Great National Assembly Square. All the participants who will come to the finish line will receive medals, while the winners will get awards. This year, the Chisinau International Marathon became an associate member of the Association of International Marathons and Distance Races. Thus, any person who will take part in the Chisinau International Marathon will be officially considered marathonist.
