Vice-president of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, Leyla Aliyeva has invited everyone to join the Baku Marathon 2016 to be held May 1 at the Foundation's initiative.

"I invite all to join the Baku Marathon 2016," Leyla Aliyeva said in an Instagram post.

Hundreds of people have already registered for participation in the Baku Marathon.

The event's main goal is to assist the development of sports in Azerbaijan, promote healthy lifestyle, especially, among the youth, and bring them together for a good cause.

The course of the Baku Marathon 2016 will cover a distance of 21 km from its start point (Flag Square) to finish line (Baku Olympic Stadium).

Baku's residents and guests, aged above 16, need to register in advance to participate in the marathon. For registration please visit www.bakumarathon.az or apply to special stands in the 28 Mall or Port Baku Mall.

For registration, all the applicants should fill out an application form and present the copy of ID cards (a copy student ID cards for students) and pay the participation fee.

Individuals should pay 20 Azerbaijani manats, while corporate runners will pay 100 manats.

Students can participate in the marathon for free.

To date, such marathons have been held in London, Paris, Boston, New York, Chicago, Berlin, Barcelona, Istanbul and other cities.

A full marathon covers a distance of 42 km, while a half-marathon is 21 km.

Marathons are also organized for charitable purposes. A charity marathon held in London in 1981 was included in the Guinness Book of Records as the largest annual fund raising event in the world.

The funds to be received from the Baku Marathon 2016 will be spent on the Heydar Aliyev Foundation's project for the children deprived of parental care.

The marathon winner will be awarded a prize of 3,000 manats, while those coming in second and third will get 2,000 and 1,000 manats, respectively.