For the First Time in Central Asia: Boston Marathon Winner Yuki Kawauchi from Japan to Toe the Almaty Marathon Starting Line

The largest running event in Central Asia – the Almaty Marathon will take place in Almaty on 27 September for the 15^th time to gather 16,000 runners. One of the principal guests and participants will be Japanese marathon runner Yuki Kawauchi – the winner of the 2018 Boston Marathon, one of the most prestigious runs in the world.

Kawauchi’s name became internationally known after he had won the Marathon in Boston in 2018. Despite of severe weather, he hopped the favourites and professional sportsmen. His result became one of the most impactful breaking news in the history of marathons. What makes his way unique is that at the time he won the marathon he was not a professional athlete: he used to work as a public officer and was balancing his training sessions with full employment. For doing so he got his unofficial nickname Citizen Runner, symbolising that a high-achieving result may be possible due to the discipline and persistency.

Today Kawauchi is one of the most recognizable marathon runners in the world and his story serves as the inspiration to the thousands of runners. His participation in the Almaty Marathon will be a significant event for the running community and will enhance the international status of the race drawing attention of both participants and international mass media.

Galimzhan Yessenov, a Chairman of the Board of Trustees at “Courage to be the First” Corporate Fund, notes that Yuki Kawauchi is the example, which proves that running is available to each and every one:

“This story is about the personality, consistency, and love of motion. It is important to us that such examples inspire the Almaty Marathon participants and make them feel part of the global running community. We always show that our races are open for every individual regardless of their sex, age, physical abilities, and other characteristics.”

Let us note that in 2026 the Almaty Marathon will celebrate its 15^th anniversary. Over these years, it has stepped beyond sports start limits and started influencing the city economics and related industries.

According to the Impact of the Almaty Marathon on City Economics study (2024), less than a thousand participants shop for amount of approximately 8 million tenge over two days. Tax payments by the partner companies over four years have grown from 318.9 to 873.9 million tenge.

The races also have an effect on the development of sport community: around 40 running clubs currently operate in Almaty, forming a unique ecosystem around – meals, medicine, equipment – all that provides support to small business and tourism.

In 2025, approximately 10% of runners accounted for foreigners from 60 countries, including China, the UAE, Germany, Turkey, France, Singapore, Italy, Canada, and Switzerland.

In average, the participants spend from KZT 20,000 to 40,000 (41%) or more than KZT 50,000 (31%) for meals, shopping, and entertainment. And this doesn’t include travelling expenses.

79.3% of out-of-city and foreign participants are planning to come back to Almaty. As the global practice shows, such trips are often the first step to more long-term decisions – from revisits to investments.

International interest toward the marathon is also proved at the study-level: the Almaty Marathon was covered by the Almaty tourism attractiveness study conducted by Mastercard together with Almaty Tourism Bureau. The study highlights a direct impact of large events, including sporting ones, on an inrush of tourists and city spending spree growth.

This year the marathon will take place on 27 September and gather 16,000 participants. Every year a portion of funds raised from participants’ entry fees is donated to charity. Since 2012, more than 30 projects have been implemented for the amount exceeding KZT 300 million spent on social and medical initiatives. Registration is already open on almaty-marathon.kz website.