Samarkand Marathon receives the World Athletics Elite Label, and Mo Farah starts the race on 8 November

The Samarkand Marathon has received the World Athletics Elite Label, Gazeta.uz reported on 5 November 2026, citing the Fund for the Development of Culture and Art of Uzbekistan. The fund says this makes it the only race of this level in the CIS.

What the label means

The label confirms that a race is run to World Athletics standards. The road race programme has four levels: Label, Elite, Gold and Platinum. Samarkand went straight to Elite without passing through the first level.

This weekend in Samarkand

The Samarkand Marathon Series runs on 7 and 8 November, over 2, 5, 10, 21.1 and 42.2 km. Four-time Olympic champion Mo Farah will start the marathon at Registan Square on 8 November. Organisers say runners from 72 countries have registered.

What it means for your trip

Race entry goes through the organisers. If you would like to pair a race in Samarkand with a proper look at the city, we can build a private programme around your dates. See our Samarkand tours, the regular tours to Samarkand and the Samarkand city guide.