6th Almaty Marathon kicks off
Over the past six years the Almaty Marathon has become one of the landmark events in the city. The marathon is usually held when warm string-like weather settles in in Almaty city.
Majority of participants are amateur runners. Over 13,000 participants from 38 countries of the work registered for the Almaty Marathon this year. 
Almaty mayor Bauyrzhan Baibek and Olympic champion Alexander Vinokurov kicked off the event addressing the crowd of runners and Almaty residents and guests who came to support them.
Among those participating in the marathon are employees of Almaty-based companies, firms, universities as well as students of local tertiary institutions. 
Fun fact: there is no age limit for participants of the marathon. The only requirement is that one should be healthy enough to run the distance. 
It should be noted that the largest number of participants registered for the 10km distance. 
Participants were free to choose from 3km (kids' distance), 10km, 21km, and 42km distances.