View source for Riga Marathon

{{short description|Annual race in Latvia held since 1991}}
{{Infobox athletics race
| bgcolour     = darkred
| image        =Rimi_Riga_Marathon_transparent_logo.png 
| imagesize    = 
| date         = 18 - 19 May 2024
| location     = {{flagicon|LVA}} [[Riga]], [[Latvia]]
| type         = [[Road running|Road]]
| sponsor      = [[Rimi Baltic]]
| distance     = [[Marathon]], [[Half marathon]], [[10K run|10k]], [[5K run|5k]], [[Mile run|Mile]]
| est           = {{start date and age|1991|p=y}}
| participants = 1,887 marathon finishers (2019)<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.athlinks.com/event/34500/results/Event/865805/Course/1629404/Entry/387823810#selection-331.3-331.7 |title=Gundars Beinardts's Race Results |archive-url=https://archive.today/20201212082007/https://www.athlinks.com/event/34500/results/Event/865805/Course/1629404/Entry/387823810#selection-331.3-331.7 |archive-date=12 December 2020 |url-status=dead}}</ref><br />38,398 <!-- 12 739 on rimi children's day, 25,659 in marathon, half, 10k, and 6k -->(all races) (2019)<!-- this value may actually be number of registrants rather than number of participants, since the same article that reported this also reported the race day schedule and invited people to spectate --><ref name="2019.participants">{{Cite web |url=http://rimirigamarathon.com/lv/jaunumi/710-tet-rigas-maratonam-registrejusies-38-398-dalibnieki-no-82-pasaules-valstim |title = Jaunumi : Rimi Riga Marathon |archive-url=https://archive.today/20201212042957/http://rimirigamarathon.com/lv/jaunumi/710-tet-rigas-maratonam-registrejusies-38-398-dalibnieki-no-82-pasaules-valstim |archive-date=12 December 2020 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
| record       = '''Marathon:'''<br />Men's: '''2:08:51''' (2019)<br />{{flagicon|ETH}} [[Andualem Shiferaw]]<br />Women's: '''2:26:18''' (2019)<br />{{flagicon|ETH}} [[Birke Debele]]<br />'''Half Marathon:'''<br />Men's: '''1:00:21''' (2024)<br />{{flagicon|KEN}} [[Samwel Mailu]]<br />Women's: '''1:07:13''' (2024)<br />{{flagicon|KEN}} [[Judy Kemboi]]
| homepage     = {{URL|http://rimirigamarathon.com/en/|Riga Marathon}}
}}
[[File:Map of 42km Rimi Riga Marathon 2023 World Athletics Certified Road Race.png|thumb|430x430px|[[Map]] of Rimi Riga Marathon 2023 42,195km course with elevation changes.]]
The '''Riga Marathon''' (also known as the '''Rimi Riga Marathon''') is an annual road [[marathon]] held in [[Riga]], [[Latvia]], since 1991. A flat, single-lap marathon course in the [[Baltic states|Baltics]]' largest city. The marathon course has been measured and certified by [[Association of International Marathons and Distance Races|AIMS]], the ''Association of International Marathons and Distance Races'' and is categorized as a [[IAAF Road Race Label Events|Gold Label Road Race]] by [[World Athletics]]. All courses are traffic-free. 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.{{r|2019.participants}}

The marathon starts and finishes near [[Riga Castle]], and runs through [[Old Riga]] as well as across the [[Daugava|Daugava River]]. In the marathon weekend it is also possible to run 42,195 kilometer distance, 21,095 kilometer half marathon, 10 kilometer, 5 kilometer and mile course distances.

== History ==

For the first time, Latvian athletes competed in the marathon distance at the [[1912 Summer Olympics|1912 Olympic Games]] in Stockholm, but the first marathon competition in Latvia took place 15 years later in [[Liepāja]]. The popularity of marathon running continued to grow in the 1970s, reaching its heyday in the late 1980s. The Folk Song Marathon (1988 – 1990) gathered several thousand runners during the revival, of which 250 - 300 finished at a distance of 42 km.

=== The start of Riga Marathon history ===
The first start shot of the Riga Marathon was fired at the [[Freedom Monument]] on 27 July 1991, shortly after the time of the barricades, when the capital city was shaken by OMON shots. Then this marathon was called the Riga International Marathon. The participants of this marathon were provided with both grand cash prizes (1000 German Marks for the first place winners), a pennant, and the then exotic fruit - banana - at the finish line.

The track was measured according to the international standards of the time, using a 50 m-long measuring tape and pegs. 735 participants took part in the first Riga Marathon, a third of which were local runners, around 30 representatives of Western countries, and the rest from the [[Soviet Union|USSR]].

However, in the next few years after the successful start, the number of participants in the Riga Marathon rapidly decreased. Runners from the [[Eastern Bloc]] were deterred from participating by the new visa regime, while Westerners might find the trip to Latvia too risky. Serious difficulties were caused by hyperinflation and repeated changes in the national currency. In 1993, it was possible to pay for participation in the marathon in three currencies - locals could pay both in [[Latvian ruble|Latvian rubles]] and newly issued [[Latvian lats|lats]], and foreigners - in [[Deutsche Mark|Deutsche Marks]].

The organizers lacked the sponsors and funds to be included in the AIMS international marathon calendar (at the time it would cost $1,000 per year) to attract western marathon tourists. During this time, local runners also became fewer and fewer, and the running culture and, consequently, the interest of sponsors gradually decreased, reaching the lowest point in 1999, when only 53 Latvian runners finished the 42 km distance.

=== Certified course and new organizers ===
In 2007, the track was officially certified and recognized for the first time according to the standards of the International Marathon Association ([[Association of International Marathons and Distance Races]], AIMS).

To increase the number of participants, the Riga Marathon was moved to the spring, attracting school youth to the 5 km distance, however, there were still relatively few runners in the marathon distance and the results could not surpass the performance of the first year.

In 2007, the Riga Marathon got its second wind. After 16 years of work, the original organizer of the marathon, Jānis Karavačiks, entrusted the organization to Aigars Nords, who was full of ambition to turn [[Riga]] into a running megalopolis with an ambitious city marathon.

The [[Riga City Council]] has entrusted the organization of the marathon to NECom or Nords Event Communications, the new organizers already achieved ambitious growth of the event in the first year. With the help of the new title sponsor Nordea and the slogan "This time for real!" the track was officially certified for the first time following the standards of the International Marathon Association (AIMS). The marathon was included in the international calendar, the usual marathon and 5 km satellite distances were supplemented by a new half-marathon, and the Kenyan Johnston Changwoni broke the Riga Marathon record set in 1991.

Under the auspices of the new organizers, the marathon became one of the fastest-growing and most prestigious running festivals in Northern Europe - from 1300 participants in 2007 to Gold Label gold status and more than 38 thousand participants from 82 countries of the world in 2019.

=== Global pandemic ===
[[File:International Riga Marathon 1991 start.jpg|thumb|295x295px|The start of the first Riga International Marathon, on 27 July 1991, at 6:00 p.m., at the [[Freedom Monument]]]]
The long-term partner of the marathon, [[Rimi Baltic|Rimi]], took on the title sponsor duties in 2019, providing support to the Virtual Running Club established during the [[COVID-19 pandemic|Covid-19 pandemic]], which kept the audience of the event active during the pandemic.

In 2020, due to the [[COVID-19 pandemic|coronavirus pandemic]], the [[Government of Latvia|Latvian Cabinet of Ministers]] canceled the in-person competition the day before the marathon weekend and moved the marathon to a virtual mode.<ref name="2020.cancellation">{{cite web |url=http://rimirigamarathon.com/lv/jaunumi/796-rimi-rigas-maratons-2020-notiek-virtuali |title=Jaunumi : Rimi Riga Marathon |website=rimirigamarathon.com |access-date=12 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201011011124/http://rimirigamarathon.com/lv/jaunumi/796-rimi-rigas-maratons-2020-notiek-virtuali |archive-date=11 October 2020 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://rimirigamarathon.com/en/news/797-the-30th-rimi-riga-marathon-will-be-virtual-only |title=News : Rimi Riga Marathon |website=rimirigamarathon.com |access-date=12 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201011011129/http://rimirigamarathon.com/en/news/797-the-30th-rimi-riga-marathon-will-be-virtual-only |archive-date=11 October 2020 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.leta.lv/eng/home/important/956F3094-7D20-4876-95BB-2F2414ADC407/ |title=Government decides to cancel Riga Marathon &#124; News &#124; LETA |website=www.leta.lv |access-date=12 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201011011144/https://www.leta.lv/eng/home/important/956F3094-7D20-4876-95BB-2F2414ADC407/ |archive-date=11 October 2020 |url-status=dead}}</ref>{{efn|It had initially been postponed to 2020.10.11 before being cancelled, with registrants also having the option of transferring their entry to another runner or to 2021.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://rimirigamarathon.com/en/news/756-rimi-riga-marathon-2020-is-postponed|title = Rimi Riga Marathon 2020 is postponed}}</ref><ref name="2020.postponement">{{Cite web|url=http://rimirigamarathon.com/en/news/762-we-will-run-the-rimi-riga-marathon-on-october-10-11|title = We will run the Rimi Riga Marathon on October 10–11}}</ref>}}

Similarly, the 2021 edition of the race was postponed from the weekend of {{dts|2021.05.16|format=dm}} to the weekend of {{dts|2021.08.29|format=dm}} due to the pandemic.<ref name="2021.postponement">{{Cite web |url=http://rimirigamarathon.com/en/news/804-rimi-riga-marathon-to-offer-new-virtual-hybrid-and-in-person-running-events-in-2021 |title = News : Rimi Riga Marathon |archive-url=https://archive.today/20201212015433/http://rimirigamarathon.com/en/news/804-rimi-riga-marathon-to-offer-new-virtual-hybrid-and-in-person-running-events-in-2021 |archive-date=12 December 2020 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://eng.lsm.lv/article/culture/sport/next-riga-marathon-planned-in-august-2021.a384926/ |title = Next Rīga marathon planned in August 2021 / Article / Eng.LSM.lv |archive-url=https://archive.today/20201212032415/https://eng.lsm.lv/article/culture/sport/next-riga-marathon-planned-in-august-2021.a384926/ |archive-date=12 December 2020 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

=== World Capital of Road Running in 2023 ===
But the organizers reached a new peak after the end of the coronavirus pandemic, winning the right to hold the first [[2023 World Athletics Road Running Championships|World Athletics Road Running Championships in Riga]] (World Athletics Road Running Championships Riga 23) on 30 September - 1 October 2023.

2023 Rimi Riga Marathon was a track rehearsal for the [[2023 World Athletics Road Running Championships|World Championships]], allowing recreational runners to try out the [[2023 World Athletics Road Running Championships|World Championship]] courses.

{{Blockquote
| text      =By hosting the inaugural [[World Athletics Road Running Championships]], Riga is to become a symbolic World Capital of Road Running in 2023.
| author    =[[Sebastian Coe]]
| title     =President of [[World Athletics]]
}}

The World Athletics Road Running Championships and the Rimi Riga Marathon, the two biggest running events in the Baltics, had a combined economic impact of 11,803,000 euros on Latvia in 2023, according to a study that examined their effects on the country's economy.

For the first time since the epidemic, the two major running competitions, the Rimi Riga Marathon and the World Athletics Road Running Championships, brought together a record-breaking 38,660 participants from more than 100 nations in the capital of Latvia.

== Course ==
The start and finish line of the marathon is set on the {{ill|11 November Embankment|lv|11. novembra krastmala}} next to [[Riga Castle]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://rimirigamarathon.com/lv/jaunumi/702-iepazisties-ar-starta-un-finisa-zonu-11-novembra-krastmala-19-maija |title=Jaunumi : Rimi Riga Marathon |website=rimirigamarathon.com |access-date=12 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200807012821/http://rimirigamarathon.com/lv/jaunumi/702-iepazisties-ar-starta-un-finisa-zonu-11-novembra-krastmala-19-maija |archive-date=7 August 2020 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
The marathon course crosses over the [[Daugava River|Daugava]] river via the [[Vanšu Bridge|Vanšu]], [[Stone Bridge, Riga|Stone]], and [[Island Bridge, Riga|Island Bridge]]s, and also includes a section that runs through the cobblestoned streets of [[Old Riga]].<ref name="2018.course">{{Cite web |url=http://rimirigamarathon.com/lv/jaunumi/648-iepazistieties-ar-jauno-trasi-42-km-21-km-un-gimenu-skrejienam |title = Jaunumi : Rimi Riga Marathon |archive-url=https://archive.today/20201212034216/http://rimirigamarathon.com/lv/jaunumi/648-iepazistieties-ar-jauno-trasi-42-km-21-km-un-gimenu-skrejienam |archive-date=12 December 2020 |url-status=dead}}</ref> 

All of the courses are single-lap courses and are fairly flat and mostly features the center of the city. 

The 33rd edition of Riga Marathon was a rehearsal for the first [[2023 World Athletics Road Running Championships|World Athletics Road Running Championships]], which took place in Riga in 30 September – 1 October. In which the marathon course will be laid out over two laps of the official World Athletics Road Running Championships half marathon course. The same courses have been confirmed for the 34th edition of Riga Marathon in 2024.

== Winners ==

'''Key''':{{pad|5px}}{{legend2|#CCFFCC||border=solid 1px #AAAAAA}} Course record (in '''bold''')

=== Marathon ===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! class="unsortable" | Ed.
! Year
! Men's winner
! Nationality
! Time{{efn|[[hour|h]]:[[minute|m]]:[[second|s]]|name="hms"}}
! Women's winner
! Nationality
! Time{{efn|name="hms"}}
|-
| 1
| 1991
| [[Vladimir Kalenkovich]]
| {{URS}}
| 2:28:27
| [[Alla Doudayeva]]
| {{URS}}
| 2:43:53
|-
| 2
| 1992
| [[Gusman Abdulin]]
| {{flag|Kazakhstan|1992}}
| 2:21:29
| [[Olga Youdenkova]]
| {{flag|Belarus|1991}}
| 2:47:28
|-
| 3
| 1993
| [[Aleksandrs Prokopčuks]]
| {{LAT}}
| 2:26:41
| [[Svetlana Șepelev-Tcaci]]
| {{MDA}}
| 2:55:07
|-
| 4
| 1994
| [[Normunds Ivzāns]]
| {{LAT}}
| 2:43:09
| [[Laila Ceika]]
| {{LAT}}
| 3:19:56
|-
| 5
| 1995
| [[Ziedonis Zaļkalns]]
| {{LAT}}
| 2:32:44
| [[Galina Bernat]]
| {{EST}}
| 3:02:11
|-
| 6
| 1996
| [[Aleksandrs Prokopčuks]]
| {{LAT}}
| 2:31:46
| [[Inita Drēziņa]]
| {{LAT}}
| 3:30:42
|-
| 7
| 1997
| [[Normunds Fedotovskis]]
| {{LAT}}
| 2:33:05
| [[Kaja Mulla]]
| {{EST}}
| 3:12:26
|-
| 8
| 1998
| [[Ziedonis Zaļkalns]]
| {{LAT}}
| 2:33:41
| [[Laila Ceika]]
| {{LAT}}
| 3:27:49
|-
| 9
| 1999
| [[Arūnas Balčunas]]
| {{flagcountry|LTU|1988}}
| 2:37:10
| [[Laila Ceika]]
| {{LAT}}
| 3:37:21
|-
| 10
| 2000
| [[Ziedonis Zaļkalns]]
| {{LAT}}
| 2:30:59
| [[Aušra Kavalauskiene]]
| {{flagcountry|LTU|1988}}
| 3:12:11
|-
| 11
| 2001
| [[Ziedonis Zaļkalns]]
| {{LAT}}
| 2:27:25
| [[Laila Ceika]]
| {{LAT}}
| 3:11:45
|-
| 12
| 2002
| [[Arūnas Balčunas]]
| {{flagcountry|LTU|1988}}
| 2:31:25
| [[Anita Liepiņa]]
| {{LAT}}
| 3:12:16
|-
| 13
| 2003
| [[Arūnas Balčunas]]
| {{flagcountry|LTU|1988}}
| 2:28:07
| [[Aušra Kavalauskiene]]
| {{flagcountry|LTU|1988}}
| 3:05:26
|-
| 14
| 2004
| [[Dmitrijs Sļesarenoks]]
| {{LAT}}
| 2:27:09
| [[Modesta Drungiliene]]
| {{flagcountry|LTU|1988}}
| 2:58:29
|-
| 15
| 2005
| [[Vjačeslavs Bambāns]]
| {{LAT}}
| 2:45:58
| [[Kaja Mulla]]
| {{EST}}
| 3:11:09
|-
| 16
| 2006
| [[Yuri Vinogradov]]
| {{RUS}}
| 2:41:57
| [[Laura Zariņa]]
| {{LAT}}
| 3:04:31
|-
| 17
| 2007
| [[Johnstone Changwony]]
| {{KEN}}
| 2:18:30
| [[Ludmila Rodina]]
| {{RUS}}
| 2:50:07
|-
| 18
| 2008
| [[Sammy Kibet Rotich|Sammy Rotich]]
| {{KEN}}
| 2:16:42
| [[Kaja Vals]]
| {{EST}}
| 3:13:54 
|-
| 19
| 2009
| [[Oleg Gur]]
| {{flagcountry|BLR|1995}}
| 2:18:35
| [[Katsiaryna Dziamidava]]
| {{flagcountry|BLR|1995}}
| 2:47:30
|-
| 20
| 2010
| [[Slimani Benazzouz]]
| {{MAR}}
| 2:17:33
| [[Maryna Damantsevich]]
| {{flagcountry|BLR|1995}}
| 2:38:16
|-
| 21
| 2011
| [[Julius Kuto]]
| {{KEN}}
| 2:15:48
| [[Desta Girma Tadesse|Desta Tadesse]]
| {{ETH}}
| 2:37:14 
|-
| 22
| 2012
| [[Titus Kurgat]]
| {{KEN}}
| 2:16:53
| [[Iraida Aleksandrova]]
| {{RUS}}
| 2:37:37
|-
| 23
| 2013
| [[Duncan Koech]]
| {{KEN}}
| 2:15:34 
| [[Aberash Nesga]]
| {{ETH}}
| 2:40:30
|-
| 24
| 2014
| [[Yu Chiba]]
| {{JPN}}
| 2:13:44
| [[Tigist Teshome]]
| {{ETH}}
| 2:36:51
|-
| 25
| 2015
| [[Haile Tolossa]]
| {{ETH}}
| 2:12:28
| [[Meseret Eshetu]]
| {{ETH}}
| 2:37:03
|-
| 26
| 2016
| [[Dominic Kangor]]
| {{KEN}}
| 2:11:45
| [[Shitaye Gemechu]]
| {{ETH}}
| 2:38:40
|-
| 27
| 2017
| [[Joseph Munywoki]]
| {{KEN}}
| 2:12:14
| [[Bekelech Bedada]]
| {{ETH}}
| 2:31:22
|-
| 28
| 2018
| [[Tsedat Ayana]]
| {{ETH}}
| 2:11:00
| [[Georgina Rono]]
| {{KEN}}
| 2:28:22
|-
| 29
| 2019
| [[Andualem Belay Shiferaw|Andualem Shiferaw]]
| {{ETH}}
| bgcolor="#CCFFCC" | '''2:08:51'''
| [[Birke Debele]]
| {{ETH}}
| bgcolor="#CCFFCC" | '''2:26:18'''
|-
| 30
| 2020 || colspan="6" align="center" data-sort-value="" | ''The marathon was held virtually due to the global pandemic. No comparisons with previous years have been made due to the results' dubious legitimacy.'' {{r|2020.cancellation}}
|-
| 31
| 2021
| [[Kristaps Bērziņš]]
| {{LAT}}
| 2:38:36
| [[Amanda Krūmiņa]]
| {{LAT}}
| 3:07:17
|-
| 32
| 2022 <ref>World Athletics Rimi Riga Marathon. (2022, May 15). Worldathletics.Org. Retrieved May 17, 2022, from https://worldathletics.org/competition/calendar-results/results/7176775</ref>
| [[Deribe Robi]]
| {{ETH}}
| 2:12:07
| [[Aberu Mekuria]]
| {{ETH}}
| 2:30:53
|-
|33
|2023 <ref>World Athletics Rimi Riga Marathon. (2023, May 7). Worldathletics.Org. Retrieved May 9, 2023, from https://worldathletics.org/competition/calendar-results/results/7192015</ref>
|[[Aleksandrs Rascevskis]]
|{{LAT}}
|2:25:42
|[[Amanda Krūmiņa]]
|{{LAT}}
|2:49:59
|-
|34
|2024 <ref>World Athletics Rimi Riga Marathon. (2024, May 27). Worldathletics.Org. Retrieved May 27, 2024, from https://worldathletics.org/competition/calendar-results/results/7209680</ref>
|[[Daviti Kharazishvili]]
|{{GEO}}
|2:21:46
|[[Jaana Strandvall]]
|{{FIN}}
|2:55:08
|}

=== Half marathon ===

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Men's winner
! Nationality
! Time{{efn|name="hms"}}
! Women's winner
! Nationality
! Time{{efn|name="hms"}}
|-
| 2006
| [[Viktors Sļesarenoks]]
| {{LAT}}
| 1:15:20
| [[Anita Liepiņa]]
| {{LAT}}
| 1:33:43
|-
| 2007
| [[Dainius Saucikovas]]
| {{LTU}}
| 1:09:17
| [[Ilona Marhele]]
| {{LAT}}
| 1:22:21
|-
| 2008
| [[Pavel Loskutov]]
| {{EST}}
| 1:05:52
| [[Helen Davies (athlete)|Helen Decker]]
| {{GBR}}
| 1:20:00
|-
| 2009
| [[Joel Komen]]
| {{KEN}}
| 1:06:49
| [[Daniela Fetcere]]
| {{LAT}}
| 1:23:05
|-
| 2010
| [[Valērijs Žolnerovičs]]
| {{LAT}}
| 1:05:40
| [[Irene Chepkirui]]
| {{KEN}}
| 1:14:04 
|-
| 2011
| [[Sergei Lukin]]
| {{RUS}}
| 1:06:28
| [[Lyubov Morgunova]]
| {{RUS}}
| 1:15:01
|-
| 2012
| [[Valērijs Žolnerovičs]]
| {{LAT}}
| 1:06:04
| [[Jeļena Prokopčuka]]
| {{LAT}}
| 1:10:27
|-
| 2013
| [[Jānis Girgensons]]
| {{LAT}}
| 1:07:24
| [[Jeļena Prokopčuka]]
| {{LAT}}
| 1:14:39
|-
| 2014
| [[Ibrahim Mukunga]]
| {{KEN}}
| 1:05:56
| [[Jeļena Prokopčuka]]
| {{LAT}}
| 1:14:52
|-
| 2015
| [[Jānis Girgensons]]
| {{LAT}}
| 1:06:20
| [[Jeļena Prokopčuka]]
| {{LAT}}
| 1:13:24
|-
| 2016
| [[Ibrahim Mukunga]]
| {{KEN}}
| 1:05:26
| [[Jeļena Prokopčuka]]
| {{LAT}}
| 1:16:06
|-
| 2017
| [[Robert Kimaru Magut]]
| {{KEN}}
| 1:05:04
| [[Inga Zālīte]]
| {{LAT}}
| 1:23:45
|-
| 2018
| [[Aleksandr Matviychuk]]
| {{UKR}}
| 1:05:14
| [[Milda Vilčinskaite]]
| {{LTU}}
| 1:14:38
|-
| 2019
| [[Jānis Višķers]]
| {{LAT}}
| 1:05:59
| [[Beatie Deutsch]]
| {{ISR}}
| 1:17:34
|-
| 2020 || colspan="6" align="center" data-sort-value="" | ''The marathon was held virtually due to the global pandemic. No comparisons with previous years have been made due to the results' dubious legitimacy.'' {{r|2020.cancellation}}
|-
| 2021
| [[Jānis Višķers]]
| {{LAT}}
| 1:07:10
| [[Kadi Kõiv]]
| {{EST}}
| 1:20:11
|-
| 2022 <ref>World Athletics Rimi Riga Half Marathon. (2022, May 15). Worldathletics.Org. Retrieved May 17, 2022, from https://worldathletics.org/competition/calendar-results/results/7176824</ref>
| [[Sikiyas Misganaw]]
| {{ETH}}
| 1:00:30
| [[Beatrice Mutai]]
| {{KEN}}
| 1:09:12
|-
|2023 <ref>World Athletics Rimi Riga Half Marathon. (2023, May 7). Worldathletics.Org. Retrieved May 9, 2023, from https://worldathletics.org/competition/calendar-results/results/7192072</ref>
|[[Dmitrijs Serjogins]]
|{{LAT}}
|1:05:02
|[[Ilona Marhele]]
|{{LAT}}
|1:20:56
|-
|2024 <ref>World Athletics Rimi Riga Half Marathon. (2024, May 27). Worldathletics.Org. Retrieved May 27, 2024, from https://worldathletics.org/competition/calendar-results/results/7209681</ref>
|[[Samwel Mailu]]
|{{KEN}}
| bgcolor="#CCFFCC" | '''1:00:21'''
|[[Judy Kemboi]]
|{{KEN}}
| bgcolor="#CCFFCC" | '''1:07:13'''
|}

=== By country ===
:''Note: Marathon and Half Marathon statistics only''[[File:The Latvian folk music choir performs for Riga marathon participants at the Freedom Monument.jpg|thumb|304x304px|[[Latvian folk music]] [[choir]] singing for the marathons participants at [[Freedom Monument|Freedom monument]], 2022.]]

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
!Country
!Total
!Marathon<br />(men's)
!Marathon<br />(women's)
!Half Marathon<br />(men's)
!Half Marathon<br />(women's)
|-
|align=left|{{LAT}}||39||12||9||8||10
|-
|align=left|{{KEN}}||17||7||1||5||3
|-
|align=left|{{ETH}}||13||4||8||1||0
|-
|align=left|{{LTU}}||8||3||3||1||1
|-
|align=left|{{BLR}}||6||2||4||0||0
|-
|align=left|{{EST}}||5||0||4||1||1
|-
|align=left|{{RUS}}||5||1||2||1||1
|- 
|align=left|{{FIN}}||1||0||1||0||0
|- 
|align=left|{{GEO}}||1||1||0||0||0
|- 
|align=left|{{GBR2}}||1||0||0||0||1
|- 
|align=left|{{ISR}}||1||0||0||0||1
|-
|align=left|{{JPN}}||1||1||0||0||0
|-
|align=left|{{KAZ}}||1||1||0||0||0
|-
|align=left|{{MDA}}||1||0||1||0||0
|-
|align=left|{{MAR}}||1||1||0||0||0
|-
|align=left|{{UKR}}||1||0||0||1||0
|}
[[File:2015 New York City Marathon 9961 (22533876200).jpg|thumb|388x388px|Five time Riga Half Maraton winner [[Jeļena Prokopčuka]], running [[New York City Marathon]], 2015.]]

=== Multiple wins ===
:''Note: Marathon and Half Marathon statistics only''

{| class="wikitable"
!Athlete
!Country
!Wins
!Years
!Distance
|-
|[[Jeļena Prokopčuka]]
|{{LAT}}
|align=center|5
|2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016
|Half Marathon
|-
|[[Laila Ceika]]
|{{LAT}}
|align=center|4
|1994, 1998, 1999, 2001
|Marathon
|-
|[[Ziedonis Zaļkalns]]
|{{LAT}}
|align=center|4
|1995, 1998, 2000, 2001
|Marathon
|-
|[[Arūnas Balčunas]]
|{{LTU}}
|align=center|3
|1999, 2000, 2003
|Marathon
|-
|[[Aleksandrs Prokopčuks]]
|{{LAT}}
|align=center|2
|1993, 1996
|Marathon
|-
|[[Aušra Kavalauskiene]]
|{{LTU}}
|align=center|2
|2000, 2003
|Marathon
|-
|[[Valērijs Žolnerovičs]]
|{{LAT}}
|align=center|2
|2010, 2012
|Half Marathon
|-
|[[Jānis Girgensons]]
|{{LAT}}
|align=center|2
|2013, 2015
|Half Marathon
|-
|[[Jānis Višķers]]
|{{LAT}}
|align=center|2
|2019, 2021
|Half Marathon
|}

== Official marathon shirts and medals ==
The official shirts of the marathon have been created since the 2008 Riga marathon. Each year, one of Latvia's well-known artists is entrusted with creating a different design for the marathon's official running shirts and medals.

Artists who have created designs for Riga Marathon shirts - Andris Vītoliņš, Ieva Iltnere, Ritums Ivanovs, Elita Patmalniece, Ella Kruļanska, Krišs Salmanis, Ilmārs Blumbergs, [[Raimonds Staprans|Raimonds Staprāns]], Anna Heinrihsone, Maija Kurševa, [[Gustav Klutsis|Gustavs Klucis]] (the 2018 shirt design used the artwork of G. Klucis, which was bought at an auction on 18 November 2017, specially for the Latvian centenary marathon shirt),<ref>{{Cite web |title=Izpārdodam maratona mākslas kreklu kolekciju un ziedojam — Rimi Rīgas maratons |url=https://rimirigamarathon.com/lv/news/izpardodam-maratona-makslas-kreklu-kolekciju-un-ziedojam/ |access-date=2022-10-25 |website=rimirigamarathon.com |language=lv}}</ref> MARE&ROLS and Jānis Šneiders.

In 2019, the design of the marathon medals was created by Artūrs Analts, the recipient of the main award "Best Design" at the London Design Biennale. The design of the 30th anniversary medals of the marathon was created by the Japanese artist Junichi Kawanishi, who is also the author of the [[2020 Summer Olympics|Tokyo Olympic Games]] medals.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Competition |first=A' Design Award & |title=Junichi Kawanishi Riga marathon 2020 Runner's Medals |url=https://competition.adesignaward.com/gooddesign.php?ID=110258 |access-date=2022-10-25 |website=competition.adesignaward.com}}</ref>

The designs of the 2022 Riga Marathon shirts and medals were created by the head of the painting department of the [[Art Academy of Latvia]], associate professor Kristiāns Brekte.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Kristiana Brektes dizaina medaļas un krekli — Rimi Rīgas maratons |url=https://rimirigamarathon.com/lv/news/kristiana-brektes-dizaina-medalas-un-krekli/ |access-date=2022-10-25 |website=rimirigamarathon.com |language=lv}}</ref> In 2023 all finishers received medals designed by Latvia’s most famous graphic artist, Paulis Liepa.

For the 34th edition of the Riga Marathon the artist crafting both the marathon’s medals and the official running shirt is the globally recognized talent, Latvian artist Germans Ermičs.

== Historical titles ==
During the valuable history of the Riga Marathon, it has been supported by many different Latvian-based and international companies. Until 2006, the name of the marathon was the International Riga Marathon, when the organizational leadership changed, the word "International" was removed from the name.

* 1994 – 1996: International [[Radio SWH Rock|Radio SWH]] Riga Marathon
* 2000: International Riga [[Samsung]] Marathon
* 2003 – 2004: Riga [[Maxima Group|Maxima]] International Marathon
* 2006: Riga [[Parex Bank|Parex]] marathon
* 2007 – 2013: [[Nordea]] Riga Marathon
* 2014 – 2018: [[Lattelecom]] Riga Marathon
* 2019: [[Tet (company)|Tet]] Riga Marathon
* since 2020: [[Rimi Baltic|Rimi]] Riga Marathon

== Organizers ==
Since 2007, the Riga Marathon has been organized by the agency "Nords Event Communications" ("NECom") in cooperation with the [[Riga City Council]].

In addition to the Rimi Riga Marathon, the same organizing team was in charge of the inaugural [[2023 World Athletics Road Running Championships|World Athletics Road Running Championships]] in Riga on October 1.

== Notes ==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [https://rimirigamarathon.com/en/ Official website of Riga Marathon]  
* [http://www.sportfoto.com/lv/nordea-rigas-maratona-2014/  Riga Marathon Photos 2014]

{{IAAF Gold Label}}

{{coord|56.9478|N|24.1028|E|source:wikidata|display=title}}

[[Category:Marathons in Latvia]]
[[Category:Sports competitions in Riga]]
[[Category:Athletics in Latvia]]
[[Category:Athletics competitions in Latvia]]
[[Category:Recurring sporting events established in 1991]]
[[Category:Annual sporting events in Latvia]]
[[Category:1991 establishments in Latvia]]
[[Category:Spring (season) in Latvia]]