12:24pm - The music has stopped and the crowd is dispersing after the day's marathon winners were crowned. Racing numbers, hats and water bottles litter the park, where racers and fans competed and later celebrated. This event was smiles and high spirits from start to finish: evidence of another successful Erbil International Marathon and a step towards the event's goal of happiness and peace in the Kurdistan Region and Iraq.
11:49am - Awards ceremony begins for the 2015 Erbil International Marathon, with winners being announced in the day's competitions.
11:32am - Chants of "Long live Peshmerga" resound through Sami Abdulrahman Park, followed by whistles and cheering. Kurdish spirit is on true display today in Erbil.
11:20am - Racers and fans continue to wave Kurdish flags and cheer near the marathon stage, awaiting the winners. Traditional Kurdish dancers take the stage for an entertainment break, prompting the crowd to sing and dance along. Police have pushed back the crowd and volunteers hold hands and form a circle around the stage, preventing fans from pushing through.
10:35am - Half marathon is still going on but 10k and 5k are finished. People are whistling, shouting, clapping along to blaring, upbeat Kurdish music. Children pushing past security, and police trying to get near stage. It's crazy, but under relative control.
10:30am - Hundreds of people wait for the winners, waving towels and throwing hats and water bottles in every direction. A drone flies overhead, capturing the excitement. (The Rudaw reporter was ducking because full water bottles were flying from different directions).
10:05am - Most 5km runners have crossed the finish line, leaving behind a trail of empty water bottles. Runners are panting, trying to catch their breath and cheering other racers approaching the finish line.
9:49am - Francois- Xavier Gicquel, 25, of France, who is running the 10km race with his NGO, SO Chretiens d' Orient, speaks to Rudaw.
"Everybody thinks Iraq is hell on earth," he said. "We want people to know Erbil is still living and people are going out and having fun, like this race. Even people living in a country at war can still live normally."
9:35am- The 5km frontrunners approach a picturesque finish line between two lakes in Sami Abdulrahman Park. Meanwhile, those running the half marathon are pushing through the first leg of the 21 km circuit.
8am – Rainy conditions force one-hour delay of races.
