The Grand Atatürk Run () is an annual

road running Road running is the sport of running on a measured course over an established road. This differs from track and field on a regular track and cross country running over natural terrain. These events are usually classified as long-distance ru ...

event of

10K run The 10K run is a long-distance road running competition over a distance of . Also referred to as the 10K road race, 10 km, or simply 10K, it is one of the most common types of road running event, alongside the shorter 5K and longer half ...

, which takes place on 27 December in

Ankara Ankara is the capital city of Turkey and List of national capitals by area, the largest capital by area in the world. Located in the Central Anatolia Region, central part of Anatolia, the city has a population of 5,290,822 in its urban center ( ...

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 ...

. The date coincides with the first visit of

Mustafa Kemal Atatürk Mustafa Kemal Atatürk ( 1881 – 10 November 1938) was a Turkish field marshal and revolutionary statesman who was the founding father of the Republic of Turkey, serving as its first President of Turkey, president from 1923 until Death an ...

, founder of the Turkish Republic, to Ankara. The competition has been held every year since 1936.Tafolar, Meric & Gasparovic, Juraj (2011-10-21)
Grand Ataturk Run 10 km

Association of Road Racing Statisticians The Association of Road Racing Statisticians is an independent, non-profit organization that collects, analyzes, and publishes statistics regarding road running races. The primary purpose of the ARRS is to maintain a valid list of world road record ...

. Retrieved on 2011-12-17. It is organised under the auspices of

Turkish Athletic Federation The Turkish Athletic Federation (, ) is the governing body for athletics in Turkey. Presidents Events National * Turkish Athletics Championships * Istanbul Marathon * Istanbul Half Marathon Balkan * Balkan Athletics * Balkan Athletics Champio ...

().76. Büyük Atatürk Koşusu
. Türkiye Atletizm Federasyonu. Retrieved on 2011-12-17. The race distance is roughly (, though it is not a certifiably measured course. Historically, the race has ranged from in length. The course is set in the centre of the city, starting at Dikmen Valley Park and finishing at the front of

Ankara Central Station Ankara railway station () is the main railway station in Ankara, Turkey, and is a major transportation hub within the city. The station is on the rail corridor which connects east and west Turkey, which is high speed between Istanbul and Sivas. ...

. Initially an event for men only, a women's section was introduced in 1992, and races for both genders are now held annually. It is one of the longest running road race events in Europe.Longest Running Road Races
ARRS (2011-12-07). Retrieved on 2011-12-17. Past winners of the race include many of the country's top distance runners. In the men's race, winners include European medallist

Halil Akkaş Halil Akkaş (born 1 July 1983) is a Turkish middle-distance runner who won the 3000 m steeplechase at the 2005 World Student Games. He finished fourth in the 5000 m final at the 2006 European Athletics Championships in Gothenburg. At the 2007 ...

and

Mediterranean Games The Mediterranean Games is a multi-sport event organised by the International Committee of Mediterranean Games (CIJM). It is held every four years among athletes from countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea in Africa, Asia and Europe. The fi ...

champions

Ekrem Koçak Ekrem Koçak (18 May 1931 – 12 June 1993) was a Turkish middle distance runner who competed in the 1952 Summer Olympics and in the 1960 Summer Olympics. He won the Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlan ...

and

Mehmet Terzi Mehmet Terzi (born 5 May 1955) is a medal-winning former long-distance runner from Turkey, who specialized in running marathons. He served as the president of the Turkish Athletic Federation () (TAF) for nine years between 2004 and 2013. Terzi ...

. Double Olympic silver medallist

Elvan Abeylegesse Elvan Abeylegesse (also formerly: Hewan Abeye (አልቫን አበይለገሠ, Amharic) and Elvan Can ( Turkish); born 11 September 1982) is an Ethiopian-born Turkish middle and long-distance running athlete who competed over distances from 150 ...

and

Binnaz Uslu Binnaz Uslu (born March 12, 1985, in Ankara) is a retired Turkish middle-distance and long-distance runner. She was banned from sport for life in 2014, after her second doping violation. The tall athlete at is a member of Enkaspor athleti ...

(runner-up at the

European Cross Country Championships The European Cross Country Championships is an annual international cross country running competition. Organised by the European Athletic Association, it is the area championships for the region and is held in December each year. The championship ...

) have won on the women's side. Şükrü Saban is the most successful athlete in the history of the competition, having won eight times between 1960 and 1970. The fastest times recorded for the race are 29:26 minutes for men (set by

Zeki Öztürk Zeki Öztürk (born 22 December 1965 in Istanbul) is a retired Turkish athlete who competed in middle- and long distance running. He represented his country at the 1988 and 1992 Summer Olympics as well as three consecutive World Championships. ...

in 1996) and 32:19 minutes for women (set by

in 2002).

Past winners

Key:

Most wins

;Men's ;Women's

References

;List of winners *Tafolar, Meric & Gasparovic, Juraj (2011-10-21)
Grand Ataturk Run 10 km

. Retrieved on 2011-12-17. {{DEFAULTSORT:Grand Ataturk Run Athletics competitions in Turkey Recurring sporting events established in 1936 Sports competitions in Ankara 10K runs 1936 establishments in Turkey Winter in Turkey