Intercontinental Eurasia Marathon begins in Istanbul

The 37th event of the Intercontinental Eurasia Marathon in Istanbul started at 9:00 a.m. local time on Sunday.

The marathon is the only legal chance for people to cross the Bosporus Bridge on foot as this event is one of the few occasions of the year that the bridge linking Istanbul's Asian side to its European shore is open to pedestrian traffic.

Thousands of people gathered in Turkey's biggest city to run the Istanbul Marathon, the world's only road race where people can cross from Asia to Europe.

The 37th Vodafone Istanbul Marathon's campaign for this year is "End Violence Against Women."

The marathon will host not only some of the world's elite athletes but also thousands of people who merely want to challenge themselves by running 42 kilometers (26 miles).

The race attracts up to 150,000 participants, including 25,000 international distance runners and people coming for the public fun-run.

The Vodafone Istanbul Marathon was awarded the IAAF Gold Label Road Race label in 2014 and is a popular event in the marathon calendar. Prize money for the 42-kilometer winner is $50,000 for both men and women. There is a special wheelchair marathon event as well.