Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- In 2024, the Samarkand Marathon series of international charity races turns 5 years old. The first event of this year will be the International Ultramarathon ZAAMIN ULTRA 2024.

ZAAMIN ULTRA 2024 will take place on 1 and 2 June in Zaamin National Natural Park and offers an unforgettable experience for all participants. The route is located at an altitude of 2200–2500 meters above sea level, which is equivalent to six Tashkent TV towers.

“This year we are celebrating the fifth anniversary of the Samarkand Marathon series of international charity races. Since our founding, we have positioned our events as a festival dedicated to sports, culture and art, which brings together participants from all over the world in Uzbekistan. We are developing the entire series and are constantly working to make the events larger and more interesting, to attract new audiences, including young people from all over the republic.” — Gayane Umerova, Chairman of the Art and Culture Development Foundation of Uzbekistan.

Participants and guests of the festival are expected to:

A unique mountain route and incredible landscapes of Zaamin National Park;

Entertainment for the whole family: rock climbing, hot air balloon rides with views of the Suffa plateau;

The evening before the race there will be an electronic music concert;

This year, a new environmental initiative will be introduced, which will become a tradition for the entire series of charity races - plogging. Participants will conclude the two-day festival by running and collecting trash together. The initiative will contribute to the unification and preservation of the natural park in its original form.

Race distances:

50K - this route offers views of the entire plateau, and the Turkestan and Malguzar ridges will appear before your eyes. The highest point of the route reaches 2500 meters above sea level. Elevation gain - 1535 meters.

21K - half marathon runners can safely try their hand at a distance of 21 km with a total elevation gain of 635 meters. On the route, participants will run through all three streams: Kattashir, Kyzylmazar and Obikul.

10K - participants run to the observation area, which offers views of the Kyzylmazar mountain stream and the entrance to the Chortanga Canyon. For a bright finish, the organizers left the climbs for the last kilometers. Elevation gain - 370 meters.

2K - This short distance is ideal for runners new to mountain running. The route offers a panoramic view of the starting town and the Kattashir mountain stream.

On 1 June, on the eve of the race, an electronic music concert will be held for guests and participants of the ZAAMIN ULTRA 2024 ultramarathon. Local DJs will perform on the open stage in front of an audience of thousands.

QARAQOOM was a discovery last year. This is a project that combines the ethnic sound of the peoples of Central Asia and modern electronic music in genres from organic house to progressive house and techno.

The group was founded in 2020 in the midst of a pandemic and named after the Karakum desert, thus the participants consolidated associations with the climate, centuries-old history, culture of Central Asia, and the traditions of the peoples inhabiting it.

The team is an artist of the labels Cafe de Anatolia, Serum records, Enormous chills.