Face to face: Gauhar Bramley-Fenton, Astana 42 Marathon
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What’s the Astana Marathon all about?
Whilst the more famous cities in Asia boast established marathons, the Astana Marathon made its debut only last year. Kazakhstan’s capital city, Astana, is slowly building a reputation as one of the more exciting marathon destinations in the world. The race course is incredibly flat, which is a huge bonus for those seeking to obliterate their personal best. The race course is also new this year – runners will be able to soak in some of the most beautiful and bizarre sights that the continent has to offer.
What are the event’s key goals?
We want to use the Astana Marathon as a launching pad for Kazakhstanis getting ready for the elite marathons (Marathon Majors) and getting their names on the so called Wall of Fame. The second goal is to raise much needed funds through donations for Kazakhstan’s charity organisations. We are also actively promoting Astana and Kazakhstan.
What role are sporting events like marathons etc playing in driving tourism business to both well-known and lesser explored destinations around the world?
Marathons used to be a purely competitive events, it was all about achieving your best results and getting medal. We are now seeing a significant shift towards social aspect of the sporting event: people are seeking to enrich their running experience – you can improve your PB (personal best) and explore a city/country you have never been to before at the same time. This is why we think a lesser known destination like Astana can be an appealing choice. Everyone trotted on the streets of London, Paris, Berlin, New York etc. When you stumble over an unusual name like Astana (the youngest and the second coldest capital in the world) you might consider registering online, book that ticket, sort out your accommodation and start getting obsessed with what you can see in Kazakhstan whilst training for 42.2k.
How can an event like the Astana Marathon help the tourism industry in places like Kazakhstan?
I am confident that with time the city can accommodate 30 thousand runners from all over the world. Just imagine how many hotel rooms will be booked, air tickets sold, restaurants and cafes filled. People would most likely want to explore attractions near Astana as well, so tour operators get busy, interpreters sought after – everyone wins! And most importantly people can visit Central Asia and learn a thing or two about the region, so the legacy of the Silk Route (trade and travel) continues to bring people closer!
Why do people want to take part in these events – how does it combine their travel, sporting and shared experiences goals?
I think ego play a huge part in marathons, so we as the event organisers are constantly looking at different ways to enrich the participating athletes and spectators’ experience. In a way we provide tools for people to build and enhance their personal brand. The unusual destination and stunning images with videos become important, so as options for tracking, presenting data (scoring, ranking) in an imaginative ways.
What other events and activities are creating new travel and tourism opportunities?
If we are talking about sporting events trail runs, ultra-marathons and triathlons are definitely on the rise.
What role is One Steppe Beyond playing in developing this desire for experiential travel?
Not many people know that Kazakhstan has so much to offer as a tourist destination, and by setting up a series of marathons and other sporting events we want the world’s running community to come and see for themselves a unique and captivating beauty of the place where horses were domesticated and milked for the first time in our history, and to experience the birthplace of apples and wild tulips.
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