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Over 12,000 Runners Register for Reykjavik Marathon; Charity Fundraising Exceeds Expectations

From Morgunblaðið · () Icelandic

Translated from Icelandic, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • Over 12,000 runners have registered for the upcoming Reykjavik Marathon on August 22.
  • The 10k and half-marathon events have the most participants, with over 5,700 and 3,500 respectively.
  • Fundraising for charities has been successful, with approximately 109 million ISK raised so far this year, and over 2 billion ISK since 2006.

More than 12,000 runners have signed up for the Reykjavik Marathon, scheduled for August 22. The most popular races are the 10k, with nearly 5,700 participants, and the half-marathon, attracting 3,500 runners. Over 1,400 people are registered for the full marathon.

Foreign participants make up about 22% of the current registrants, including over 800 from the United States. The number of registrations is similar to this time last year, and sign-ups remain open. The event has grown significantly since its inception in 1984 with 214 participants, becoming the Reykjavik Marathon Íslandsbanka in 1997 with 3,076 runners.

The first Reykjavik Marathon took place in 1984 with 214 runners. The marathon became the Reykjavik Marathon Íslandsbanka in 1997 with 3,076 participants. It will be exciting to see the number of runners this year.

— Hrefna Hlín SveinbjörnsdóttirHrefna Hlín Sveinbjörnsdóttir, head of events at the Reykjavik Sports Association, commented on the marathon's growth.

Fundraising efforts have been highly successful this year, with approximately 109 million Icelandic krónur (ISK) already collected for various charities. Since the fundraising component began in 2006, an estimated total of over 2 billion ISK has been raised. Hrefna Hlín Sveinbjörnsdóttir, head of events at the Reykjavik Sports Association, emphasized the significant impact these donations have on charitable organizations, supporting numerous essential projects within the community.

The amounts, large or small, mean a lot to the organizations and have been used for many needed projects that benefit our community.

— Hrefna Hlín SveinbjörnsdóttirHrefna Hlín Sveinbjörnsdóttir highlighted the importance of the fundraising efforts.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Morgunblaðið in Icelandic. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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