racing between continents

While on the subject of transcending the boundaries between Asia and Europe....the 27th Intercontinental Eurasia Marathon was held in İstanbul on Sunday, starting on the Asian side of the Bosphorus, crossing over the first of the two Bosphorous bridges, and winding its way across both sides of the Golden Horn. I ran in the fifteen kilometer race that accompanied the marathon (from Üsküdar to Dolmabahçe, via Mecidiyeköy, Şişli, Taksim, Kaşimpaşa, Karaköy, and Tophane.) I came 25th out of the women in the 15k (and something like 400th overall; there were quite a lot more men running). Half an hour after the main race, there was also a "People's Run" of 8 kilometers, which all sorts of folk entered, some just to have the fun of walking across the bridge, others to make a statement--acording to the newspapers the day after, among the organizations running to promote the cause were a group of girls in hijab with a banner arguing for "freedom to wear the headscarf," and a group called "Teachers Against Smoking." All in all, apparently nearly 100,000 people ran that day, despite the rain. As for myself, all I have to say is that I plan to run across that bridge again someday--and maybe next time, it will be for the whole marathon.