Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) – On 1 and 2 June 2024, the International ultra marathon ZAAMIN ULTRA 2024 took place. It kicked off the series of charitable runs known as the Samarkand Marathon, organized by the Art and Culture Development Foundation. This was the third run held in the Zaamin National Nature Park.

Over 2,100 athletes from around 20 countries participated in the run, including Australia, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Turkey, Russia, the United States, and others.

The ZAAMIN ULTRA 2024 route traversed the territory of the Zaamin National Nature Park and included four distances: 50K, 21K, 10K, and 2K. Awards were given for three distances:

Winners of the 50K distance among men were Begaliyev Nurziyad with a time of 04:12:35, and among women, it was Popova Olga with a time of 05:56:05.

Winners of the 21K distance among men were Sekachev Artyom with a time of 01:35:53, and among women, it was Cherkas Alexandra with a time of 01:51:46.

Winners of the 10K distance among men were Pardaev Bekzod with a time of 0:53:46, and among women, it was Kuznetsova Alexandra with a time of 0:59:48.

This year, the 50K distance also set a new record: Nurziyad Begaliyev completed the distance 12 minutes faster than his predecessor. Besides the overall ranking, winners in age categories were also awarded.

"Once again this year, we brought together thousands of athletes from different countries, providing them with the opportunity to fulfill their dreams and challenge themselves on one of the most exciting high-mountain trails in the world. Among the innovations, we took the responsibility to preserve nature in its pristine state and organized a series of environmental initiatives, including plogging, the refusal of plastic cups, and much more. We invite everyone to join our upcoming runs—later in June, there will be a sports festival in the Bostanlyk district, followed by our favorite event, the night run in Bukhara, and traditionally, the marathon season will conclude in Samarkand," said Mirhan Sagitov, curator of the Samarkand Marathon series.

Special attention was paid by the organizers to measures to protect the environment. As part of the initiative to preserve the unique landscapes of Zaamin, after the run, plogging (short-distance running with garbage collection) was conducted, and a decision was made to refrain from using disposable cups.

At the finish line, participants of ZAAMIN ULTRA 2024 were awarded medals. This year, the design of the medals reflected the unique landscapes of the Zaamin National Nature Park.

On June 1st, on the eve of the run, a concert of electronic music was held for guests and participants of the ZAAMIN ULTRA ultra marathon. DJ Yõldosh performed on the open stage in front of a large audience, and the headline of the evening was the QARAQOOM band, which participated in this venue for the second time.