Riga Marathon
The Riga Marathon (also known as the Rimi Riga Marathon) is an annual road marathon held in Riga, Latvia, since 1991. It is a member of AIMS and is categorized as a Gold Label Road Race by World Athletics. The marathon starts and finishes near Riga Castle, and runs through Old Riga as well as across the Daugava River. , the marathon winner may receive up to 15,000 EUR in prize money, plus a bonus if the distance record is also broken. Rimi Riga Marathon is one of the fastest-growing marathons in Northern Europe. In 2019, there were  25 659 participants over five different distances from 82 countries. History. The marathon was first held in 1991. In 2007, it became a member of AIMS. The main sponsor of the marathon from 2007 to 2014 was Nordea. By 2013 the number of participants reached 20 020 people from 65 countries, of whom 1278 competed in the marathon distance. For several years Riga Marathon held IAAF Bronze Label status, but was awarded Gold Label in late 2018. In 2020, the Latvian Cabinet of Ministers cancelled the in-person edition of the race on the day before the marathon weekend due  to the coronavirus pandemic. Similarly, the 2021 edition of the race was postponed from the weekend of to the weekend of due to the pandemic. Course. The start and finish line of the marathon is set on the next to Riga Castle. The marathon course crosses over the Daugava river via the Vanšu, Stone, and Island Bridges, and also includes a section that runs through the cobblestoned streets of Old Riga. Prizes. As of 2019, the prize money received by the winner of the marathon can reach 15 000 euros, depending on the distance result, with an additional bonus reserved  in case the distance record is broken. Money prizes are received by best eight finishers, with additional 2000 euros awarded to the highest placed Latvian runners in each of the distances. Winners. Key: Course record (in bold)