On September 3rd, a mass run with the slogan “Let’s Run Together,” dedicated to the 100th anniversary of Heydar Aliyev, will take place on Baku’s Primorsky Boulevard.
The competition will feature several categories over a 5 km distance, including participants aged +18, +40, +50, and +60 years. Additionally, there will be races for juniors at distances of 800 meters (born in 2013-15) and 1000 meters (born in 2010-12), as well as separate standings for boys and girls at distances of 1500 meters (born in 2008-09) and 2000 meters (born in 2006-07).
Namik Asadov, the chairman of the “Run for All” committee of the Azerbaijan Athletics Federation, stated that this is the sixth mass event dedicated to the 100th anniversary of Heydar Aliyev taking place in 2023. He mentioned, “Twice a year, we organize this run on the territory of Primorsky Boulevard. The first run took place in March 2023, and we have also held several mass competitions in various regions of the country.”
Asadov noted that over 200 participants have already registered for the run, which is twice as many as last year at the same registration stage. He explained, “It should be taken into account that people in our country are accustomed to registering at the last moment. Therefore, we expect a much larger number of participants. Everyone is returning from vacations and getting back into an active lifestyle.”
Asadov also highlighted the significant interest from veterans, noting that typically around 40% of participants in such runs are veterans.
The federation representative mentioned that this time they decided to involve juniors in the mass run to tap into their potential, stating, “Such events allow us to engage young people in sports and discover talents. We thought that this event is an excellent opportunity to observe talented young individuals and possibly select some of them. In other words, such events serve not only to promote mass participation in sports but also to identify talents.”
He provided an example of their success, saying, “We have already brought several talented youngsters from the regions, and now they are members of the national team. It may be too early to talk about significant achievements, but we have found promising talents. Our goal is to identify such individuals. I can see that compared to previous years, more children have started practicing athletics. Recently, we have brought around 10 talented youngsters to Baku. They are currently training and studying here.”
Asadov highlighted the growing interest in athletics among amateurs as well, saying, “I work as a coach myself and see this increasing interest. People come, train, and then participate in marathons. The interest is also due to the fact that practically every week we have some runs. We have already organized six mass runs. However, there are separate clubs and federations that constantly hold competitions. All of this contributes to the growing interest.”
Asadov expressed special gratitude to the Financial Chain Corporation, which has supported another mass event in the country, stating, “We are very grateful to the Financial Chain Corporation. They always support us completely free of charge. They play an important role in promoting a healthy lifestyle. It is evident that promoting a healthy lifestyle is one of the principles within the company.”
