Running through Moscow: How to take part in the Moscow Marathon

On 15 September 2013 over 2,000 people took part in the marathon in the centre of Moscow. The race was more than just 42.2 km; it inaugurated a new event in the city. The marathon route had never before passed through the very heart of the Russian capital.

Both Moscow and the number of marathon runners have changed over the past five years. While 2,366 people ran in the first marathon, now as many as 32,000 may this year – that is how many slots are available on the official website of the event (to reserve a slot, the runner registers and pays, and then receives a start package). On 24 September Moscow will host Russia’s largest marathon. It is worth covering a distance of 10 km or 42.2 km to learn more about Moscow and feel in your heart one of the world’s most beautiful cities.

What do I have to do to run in the marathon?

To take part in the marathon you must first register. Online registration for 42.2 km and for 10 km is open until 23 August but may be closed earlier if all slots are reserved. People with disabilities may register during the sports exhibition: from 11 am to 9 pm on 22 September and from 10 am to 6 pm on 23 September. The exhibition will be held at 24 building 7 Luzhniki Street in the Luzhniki Olympic Complex.

 

A corporate relay race and a race of wheelchair users and hand-bikers will take place during the marathon. To register a corporate team, submit the fee and application on behalf of your company to the following address by 23 August: ekiden@moscowmarathon.org Wheelchair users and hand-bikers must fill in the form and confirm their participation by email. To register you must provide your first and last name and date of birth.  

If there are vacant slots, it is possible to register for the marathon race during the distribution of start packages, on 22-23 September. Registration for the 42.2 km marathon costs from 1,500 roubles to 4,000 roubles (depending on the age of a participant and the registration date); for 10 km, from 750 roubles to 2,000 roubles. Participation for wheelchair users and hand-bikers is free.

How do I get a start package and what does it contain?

The marathon is for runners 18 or older; the 10 km race and corporate race for ages 16 and up, and wheelchair and hand-bike competitors must be 17 or older.

Future participants in the competitions must submit a health certificate confirming they are healthy enough to run the race. The certificate must contain a stamp of a medical institution and a stamp and signature of a doctor and the date of issue (no later than 24 March 2017) and information on the applicant.

Start packages will be distributed from 11 am to 9 pm on 22 September and from 10 am to 6 pm on 23 September in the Luzhniki Olympic Complex. IDs and medical certificates must be presented to pick up a start package.

Participants 16 and 17 years of age must present permission from their parents or be accompanied by them when receiving start packages.

Start packages in all races are similar. Marathon runners will receive a start number with a time tracking chip and pins, bracelet for access to the-start-and-finish city, bracelet, sticker and pack for a locker room, race t-shirt, invitation to a pasta dinner, medal and thermal cover for the finish. Participants in a 10 km race will not have the dinner invitation or thermal cover. In addition to these things, wheelchair and hand-bike competitors will have a pass to a parking lot and a special pavilion.

When does the race start and where will we run?

The start-and-finish city and locker rooms will open at 7 am on 24 September. Hand-bikers and wheelchair users will start their race at 9 am. The marathon and corporate race will start at 9.15 am, a 10 km race at 10.10 am. The finish will close at 3.40 pm.

The route of the Moscow Marathon passes through the capital’s centre: Moskva River embankments by the Moscow City, the Garden Ring, via the Krymsky Bridge, Boulevard Ring and Tverskaya Street, by Teatralny Proyezd and near the Kremlin’s walls. Participants in the races will see over 30 world famous sights, including the Kremlin, the Government House, four of Stalin’s Seven Sisters (high-rises), the Bolshoi Theatre, the Polytechnical Museum and Christ the Saviour Cathedral.

Maps for the 42.2 km race are avilable here, for the 10 km race here.

What will await runners at the finish?

Both men and women taking part in the 42.2 km marathon can place from first to sixth place in the following age categories: 18–19, 20–22, 23–34, 35–39, 40–44, 45–49, 50–54, 55–59, 60–64, 65 years and older; in the 10 km – from first to third place.

All participants will receive commemorative medals regardless of their performance.

Where to stay in Moscow?

Moscow has 211 big hotels with over 50 rooms each, 413 smaller and mini hotels with fewer than 50 rooms, as well as 242 hostels. In all, they can accommodate people in 58,100 rooms – enough for all guests who would like to take part in the Moscow Marathon.