İznik Ultramarathon, shortly İznik Ultra, is an international trail running

ultramarathon An ultramarathon is a footrace longer than the traditional marathon distance of . The sport of running ultramarathons is called ultra running or ultra distance running. Various distances, surfaces, and formats are raced competitively, from the ...

event that takes place at

İznik İznik () is a municipality and district of Bursa Province, Turkey. Its area is 753 km2, and its population 44,236 (2022). The town is at the site of the ancient city of Nicaea, from which the modern name derives. The town lies in a fertile ...

town of

Bursa Province Bursa Province () is a Provinces of Turkey, province and Metropolitan municipalities in Turkey, metropolitan municipality in Turkey along the Sea of Marmara coast in northwestern Anatolia. It borders Balıkesir Province, Balıkesir to the west, K ...

in northwestern

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

. It was established in 2012 with the first race held on 14-15 April. Lasting two days, the race is Turkey's longest single-stage athletic event. The course is a loop around the Lake Iznik with a distance of and a total elevation gain of . İznik Ultra consists of the part races as the 80k " Orhangazi Ultra", the 42k "İznik Mountain Marathon" and additionally a city

fun run A fun run is a friendly race that involves either road running or cross country running with participants taking part for their own enjoyment rather than competition. A fun run will usually be held to raise funds for a charity, with sponsors prov ...

"İznik 10k". The winners are bestowed with medals specially made out of

İznik pottery Iznik pottery, or Iznik ware, named after the town of İznik in Anatolia where it was made, is a decorated ceramic that was produced from the last quarter of the 15th century until the end of the 17th century. Turkish stylization is a reflectio ...

, which made the town famous in the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

era. In 2013, 250 athletes from 17 nations participated at the event. The race for 2014 is scheduled on 19-20 April.

İznik Ultra

Lake İznik is located northeast of

Bursa Bursa () is a city in northwestern Turkey and the administrative center of Bursa Province. The fourth-most populous city in Turkey and second-most populous in the Marmara Region, Bursa is one of the industrial centers of the country. Most of ...

, and the historic city of İznik (formerly

Nicaea Nicaea (also spelled Nicæa or Nicea, ; ), also known as Nikaia (, Attic: , Koine: ), was an ancient Greek city in the north-western Anatolian region of Bithynia. It was the site of the First and Second Councils of Nicaea (the first and seve ...

) is situated at the eastern shore of the lake. The trail running race starts at the square in front of Hagia Sophia Museum () in the town center, and leaves İznik on its south through Yenişehir Gate (). Running on state and country roads between villages as control points, the route continues along the mountainous southern coast of İznik Lake, gaining elevation before and after Derbent at . It descends towards Narlıca at , ascends and descends once again before Solöz at . The route after Solöz until the finish line is almost flat with an elevation difference not exceeding about . Örnekköy village is the westernmost point of the route at . From there on, the route follows north of the lake. After the villages Ilıca at , Boyalica at and Dikilitaş at , it arrives in İznik at the same place it had started, passing through İstanbul Gate (İstanbul Kapı) in the north of the town. Qualification time is limited by 25 hours. İznik Ultra is accredited for giving three points to the North Face Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc.

Orhangazi Ultra

Orhangazi Ultra is the part of İznik Ultra that ends in Örnekköy with an elevation gain of . Time limit is 13 hours. The event gives two points to the North Face Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc.

İznik Mountain Marathon

İznik Mountain Marathon is the part of İznik Ultra that ends in Narlıca with an elevation gain of . Time limit is 8 hours.

İznik 10k

İznik 10k is a ( fun run held in the town and partly along the lake shore on the second day of the İznik Ultra event. The race starts in the square before the Hagia Sophia Museum, runs through the city streets and along the historic city walls. After continuing along the lake shore, the route enters the city again and ends in the town square. The major part of the route is paved with asphalt or

cobblestone Cobblestone is a natural building material based on Cobble (geology), cobble-sized stones, and is used for Road surface, pavement roads, streets, and buildings. Sett (paving), Setts, also called ''Belgian blocks'', are often referred to as " ...

while only 10% of it is unpaved as

dirt road A dirt road or track is a type of unpaved road not paved with asphalt, concrete, brick, or stone; made from the native material of the land surface through which it passes, known to highway engineers as subgrade material. Terminology Simi ...

gravel road A gravel road is a type of unpaved road surfaced with gravel that has been brought to the site from a quarry or stream bed. Gravel roads are common in less-developed nations, and also in the rural areas of developed nations such as Canada and ...

Winners

Key:

Notable participants

Amy Sproston Amy Sproston is an American ultramarathoner from Monmouth, Il. She won the 2012 IAU 100 km World Championships. Along with this she won a team title for the United States. Sproston finished second at the 2016 Western States Endurance Run ...

, 2012 World champion in 100k.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Iznik Ultramarathon Ultramarathons İznik District Orhangazi District Sport in Bursa 2012 establishments in Turkey Annual events in Turkey Marathons in Turkey Recurring sporting events established in 2012 Spring (season) in Turkey