Celestina Diaz de Valdez urges everyone to join annual run, world's only bi-continental race
The wife of Paraguay's ambassador to Turkey on Sunday became the first person from her country to take part in the Vodafone 41st Istanbul Marathon.
Celestina Diaz de Valdez, the wife of Ambassador Ceferino Adrian Valdez Peralta Valdez, joined the 15-kilometer leg of the race, sponsored by telecommunications conglomerate Vodafone with the motto "Istanbul is yours. Don’t stop, run!"
Speaking to Anadolu Agency after the run in the Turkish metropolis, Valdez said that it was a "wonderful" feeling to cross from Asia to Europe.
She said she had previously run races in such countries as Paraguay, South Korea, the U.S. and South Africa, adding that she plans to compete in Istanbul again next year.
"I recommend that everyone come here and run this marathon,'' she added.
A total of 63 elite athletes competed in the race, the world's only bi-continental marathon.
The event had three categories -- a 42.2-kilometer (26.2-mile) marathon, fun runs of 15 km run (9.3 mi) and 8 km (4.9 mi), and a wheelchair competition.
Kenyan athlete Daniel Kipkore Kibet came in first in the men’s division of the 42-km race, breaking the previous record. Ethiopian athlete Hirut Tibebu bagged the women's title.
In the 15-km run, Kenyan athlete Mathew Kimeli won the men’s title, while the women's title was bagged by Ethiopia's Tsigie Gebreselama.
