Presidential Run
Ankara will take an important step toward a bigger international running vision on October 10–11, 2026, as the Presidential Run brings road racing, sports culture, technology, and public participation together in the capital. Planned under the auspices of the Presidency and organized by the Turkish Athletics Federation, the event will aim to position Ankara more strongly in endurance sports and support the city’s long-term ambition to enter the global conversation around major marathon destinations.
The weekend will be designed as more than a race. The first day will feature a 6,000-square-meter indoor experience area built around sport, technology, culture, and community interaction. On the second day, runners will take on internationally structured 21K Half Marathon, 10K, and 5K Public Run distances, turning the city into a large-scale capital running stage.
The 21K route will start and finish on Cumhurbaşkanlığı Boulevard near the 15 July Democracy Museum, then move through some of Ankara’s most symbolic urban corridors. Runners will pass Beştepe, İsmet İnönü Boulevard, the new Turkish Grand National Assembly area, Sıhhiye, Atatürk Boulevard, Opera Square, Ulus, the Old Parliament, Ankara Palas, Ankara Train Station, and Hipodrom Avenue before returning toward the finish. It will be a course shaped not by seaside views, but by the political, civic, and republican memory of Türkiye’s capital.
For visitors, the weekend can still become a meaningful Ankara city break. Between the festival area and race-day energy, guests can add stops such as Anıtkabir, Ankara Castle, Hamamönü, CerModern, or Eymir Lake to their program, then end the day with Ankara classics like Aspava (The "Never-Ending Side Dishes" Tradition), Ankara tava (Ankara Style Baked Lamb with Orzo), and Beypazarı kurusu (Beypazarı Crunchy Butter Biscotti). Even if you are not running, you will still want to follow this event—because the Presidential Run will turn Ankara into a capital-stage race weekend where endurance, civic memory, public participation, and Türkiye’s international sports vision meet on the same route.