By Furkan Naci Top
ISTANBUL
Ruhiye Dogan and Hatice Eyup, old-time friends and neighbors in Istanbul, both 68, have just crossed the finish line of the 8-km fun run, organized as part of the Istanbul marathon.
"We are quite old, but we feel 35," says Ruhiye while chuckling. "But we want to live until at least 95, if God provides health," adds Hatice.
They were among the 150,000 people, young and old alike, from different countries, from all types of occupations, political views and religions, who have come together on Sunday for the only intercontinental running race in the world that bridges Europe and Asia.
Shepherds with their sheep dog, miners and workers with their helmets, teenagers dressed as Ottoman soldiers, hundreds of Turkish flag-wavers, disabled in wheelchairs, sports fans and of course athletes participated in the colorful sports fest of the 15-million-strong city.
A sweaty 6-year-old Bilal had also participated in his first fun run, while holding his father Adem Koylu's hand.
"We walked most of the course," said Adem, proud of his "tired" son after more than two hours of running... and carrying Bilal.
Expats and travellers also took part in the fun run.
Three 26-year-old Indonesian students, Boudy, Sukma and Rony, said they enjoyed the experience of passing the Bosphorus bridge on foot, as it is normally closed to pedestrians.
"It was really nice to see the view over the Bosphorus," Boudy said, who has finished his second race in three years spent in Turkey.
From another corner of the world, four South African women, who are part of a running club, whose members travel around the world and join marathons and races, were in Istanbul for a week on Sunday after a similar adventure in Athens.
Hajira, a pharmacist back in her country, was happy to enjoy "perfect weather for running" and ready to be delighted by another spell of "lovely Turkish food."
Health campaigners and NGOs also were there to raise awareness on various issues, from child and drug abuse to fighting cancer or diabetes.
A child psychiatrist, Tugba Camcioglu, said a group of a hundred people from different occupations had gathered for the Turkish "Don't Touch My Child Body Initiative," which aims to bring attention to child abuse, an issue which is "usually ignored."
A group of Turkish medical workers from the international NGO Doctors Worldwide, of which the medical personnel travels around the world to treat the disadvantaged, namely in conflict zones, joined in the fun to draw attention on the plight of refugees in Turkey and around the globe.
Some were there to advance more political issues. The conservative Anatolian Youth Association voiced support for Palestinians by protesting - by marching, not running -the raid of al Aqsa Mosque earlier this month by Israeli security forces.
Not everyone was taking the fun run that seriously, as many took selfies all throughout the course.
Some even stopped walking in the middle of the bridge for a quick game of backgammon, which is quite popular in Turkey, openly defiant of the athletic atmosphere around them.
www.aa.com.tr/en
