Meet the founder.
Sherali, the founder of Samarkand Explore and Samarkand Running Tours, discovered his love for the French language many years ago. He went on to study French and English at the University of Foreign Languages in Samarkand from 2008 to 2012. After graduating, Sherali became a French-speaking guide, leading travellers from all over the world across Uzbekistan. Years of guiding and countless journeys deepened his understanding of the country’s landscapes, history, and culture. In 2017, he founded Samarkand Explore, a boutique travel agency specialising in tailor-made trips in Uzbekistan.
How Samarkand Running Tours came to be ?
During the global pandemic, Sherali took up running as a way to stay healthy, without yet realising how vast the world of endurance sports could be. Around the same time, Pierre, who was on a business trip in Uzbekistan, also went running during his free time. Meeting Sherali helped him discover Uzbekistan from a different perspective and immerse himself in the country’s emerging sports culture. A keen marathon runner, Pierre had set his sights on participating in the Tashkent Marathon in 2022 but despite extensive online research, he was unable to secure a race bib.
After several conversations with Sherali, Pierre suggested creating a dedicated platform bringing together practical information about running events in Uzbekistan. That’s how a chance encounter marked the beginning of a remarkable adventure.
A project brought to life spontaneously.
The Samarkand Running Tours project sprang to life quickly, without particular attention to finer details. Running, marathons, and trail running were still emerging disciplines in Uzbekistan at the time. In fact, the very first Samarkand Marathon only took place in November 2019! Now it’s a highlight held every first weekend of November.
The first logo design was handed to a young designer who wasn’t entirely sure about the target audience. After several iterations, the current Samarkand Running Tours logo took shape. Next came the website. Drawing inspiration from travel concepts built around trail running, marathons, and city running, the first version of the Samarkand Running Tours site went live in November 2022. The response was immediate, and the agency quickly found its audience.
Following a series of discussions, Benoît Laval, CEO of the trail running travel agency Trail to Be Alive, visited Uzbekistan in 2023 to prepare his first trail running trip with the Samarkand Running Tours team. This trip proved to be a real success, and in September 2024, no fewer than 55 runners and hikers joined the sporting adventure. Building on this success, several new adventure travel projects in Uzbekistan are now in the works. Through this travel blog, the Samarkand Running Tours team looks forward to sharing all the upcoming events with you as they take shape.
Samarkand Running Tours 2026: new website, more adventures.
With this ambition in mind, the team undertook a light redesign of the Samarkand Running Tours website. The agency chose to broaden its range of sports travel experiences, placing a stronger focus on outdoor adventures in Uzbekistan and Central Asia. Today, Samarkand Running Tours offers not only trail running and marathon trips but also cycling adventures (mountain bike and gravel) as well as hiking itineraries in some of the country’s most beautiful mountain regions. Samarkand Running Tours strives to combine your passion for athletic challenges with the timeless heritage of the Silk Road. Come to explore the Silk Road with us !
