Estonia's biggest running event closes Tallinn city center on Sunday
The Tallinn Marathon, one of the nation's favorite public events, will take place this weekend. The event, with its picturesque, if windy course along the Pirita Promenade, is also gaining popularity among foreigners.
While last year Tallinn Marathon hosted runners from a total of 41 different countries, a month ago, participants from 45 nations had already registered for this year's race.
The organizers are also expecting to see a record number of participants run the marathon and half marathon on Sunday.
In the course of fifteen years, Tallinn Marathon has emerged as the region’s largest public sports event. For all race distances, the organizers are prepared to host at least as many participants this year as in 2013, when 20,562 recreational athletes took part in the largest public sports event ever held in Estonia.
On Sunday, sports fans can choose between marathon, half marathon, 10-kilometer running or walking distances. A 4-kilometer youth run and kids races will traditionally take place a day before, on September 12.
Those who have not yet registered but still want to join the party can do so in the race office, set up at the Freedom Square.
Traffic along and around the track will be disrupted on Sunday from 00:30-16:00. Tram traffic on all lines will be suspended from 07:40-16:00. Click here for more details.
World record attemtp
Last year's race saw Estonian Joosep Mooses complete a marathon while bouncing a basketball in record-breaking time 3:14:57. In January, American Jerry Knox was three and a half minutes faster.
Now Marti Medar is determined to bring the record back to Estonia. Medar was also part of last year's project but a fast start – 21.1 kilometers in under an hour and 30 minutes – took its toll and Medar finished half an hour after Mooses.
Medar has played basketball for over 10 years and is Estonian youth champion in various running distances.
Medar's coach Urmas Randma said the record is achievable if only Medar, who has taken his personal best in half marathon to 01:15:50, can control himself in the first half of the race and stay with the pacemaker.
Marti Medar (Photo: SEB Tallinn Marathon)
Editor: M. Oll