2nd Istrian Marathon 2015

Izola (Slovenia), Sunday 12 April 2015

Held on the stunningly beautiful Istrian peninsula, which lies at the northern end of the Adriatic Sea, the Istrski maraton offers three very scenic races — a 10km run, a half marathon, and a full marathon.

Early entries are recommended. The inaugural Istrian Marathon 2014 was sold out ahead of time. Around 2,000 runners took part in the event. The entry limit for 2015 is 3,300 runners but it is possible that the races fill up quickly.

The first Istrski maraton was staged in Slovenia's port of Koper, the second edition will take place in Izola a charming old town situated 6km down the coast.

Participants in the half and in the full marathon will run the first 18km together. Starting in Izola, the route will take the runners along the coastal road to Koper, around Koper's historic centre, back to Izola, and then inland (a bit uphill) to the Parenzana, a disused railway track which has been converted into a cycleway.

Half marathon runners will turn left to run home to the finish in the heart of Izola whereas marathon runners will turn right to explore the resort of Portorož, the picturesque old town of Piran, the saltpans of Strunjan, and the lovely vineyards and orchards of inland Istria.

The half marathon features 80 metres of ascent, the marathon 280 metres. Most of the route is on asphalt. Some sections are on trails or cobbles.

The time limit is three hours for the half and six hours for the full marathon.

The 10km race is a point-to-point run from the village of Korte to Izola. The route is undulating and overall downhill as Korte sits at an elevation of about 200 metres. From the course, there are fabulous views of Istria and the coast.

The Parenzana cycleway with Izola in the background

The route between Koper and Izola

Country: Slovenia

Venue (Map): Izola (Trieste 29km, Rijeka 88km, Ljubljana 110km)

Date: 12 April 2015 (Sunday)

Race distance: 10km, 21.1km, 42.2km

Start (10km): at 9.40 in Korte

Start (21km, 42km): at 10.00 in Izola

Finish: in Izola

Entries: online; entries close 31 March 2015 or when the entry limit has been reached

Entry limit: 1200 runners (10km), 1500 runners (21km), 600 runners (42km)

Entry fees: € 25/30/40 (up to 16 January/17 March/31 March 2015)

(The entry fees are the same for all three races)

Timekeeping: ChampionChip — included in the entry fees; € 3 off the entry fees if you use your own chip

You get: technical T-shirt; a voucher for a meal, finisher medal, certificate

Prizes: trophies to the first 3 M/F; medals to the first 3 in each category

Number of finishers 2014: 647 (8.5km), 1050 (21km), 326 (42km)

Event website (in English, Italian, and Slovene):

No guarantee is made as to the accuracy or thoroughness of the information on this page.