100th Košice Peace Marathon is over

From the first reactions, it can be concluded that many expectations were fulfilled. Also, the wishes and appeal of the organizers towards the runners and the public for mutual tolerance and understanding of the necessary measures and compromises were heard. From the entire marathon events and responses, one can understand the significant excitement prevailing in the entire community of runners, organizers, fans and supporters of the marathon in Košice.

A very rich program took place even before the start of the marathon. It also included a Saturday’s Opening ceremony and concerts during which a bronze World Athletics Heritage replica was also unveiled. This act was undertaken by Chris Turner from World Athletics and 4-time Olympian walking champion Robert Korzenowski, who stood up the next day as a member of unique Olympic relay team. This unveiling was followed by the traditional lighting of the marathon flame, which is an annual part of the program on the eve of the race.

Regarding 100th Košice Pacea Marathon, the words of the special guests, as well as the runners who tackled the difficult course on, sounded particularly encouraging.

The founder of the Berlin Marathon, Horst Milde, said during Friday’s press conference: “One hundred years is a long history. I am very happy to be here among runners and people who have a positive attitude towards the marathon in Košice, and it is a great honor for me to be a part of the 100th edition of this marathon. I see you, people from Košice, as pioneers of marathon running in Europe who had the necessary stamina and ability to overcome all the obstacles and political changes that time has brought”.

Three-time biathlon Olympic champion Anastasia Kuzmina, a member of the stellar relay team, expressed her feelings after finish as follows: “I want to thank all the people along the course, I have never experienced anything like this in my life, it was simply amazing. Everyone was great.’

Michal Karcol, who reached the finish line of the marathon in 3293rd place: “I have to thank the organizers for a perfect race. I’ve been coming back here for three years and I’ll keep coming back for years to come. The marathon hurts, but the pain was worth it thanks to the Košice spectators.”

The race itself saw a planned assault on the course record in the men’s race. This was also indicated by the split time in the half-marathon. The runners even managed to speed up in the second lap after the pacemakers dropped out, and Philemon Rono (PB 2:05:00) beat Kebede Tulu (PB 2:05:19) in a dramatic finish. Both runners thus surpassed Lawrence Kimaya’s best time of 2012. Three-time winner Reuben Kerio was among the best for a long time, but on the the end he finished in 4th place. In the women’s race, both previous winners were at the start, but the one from 2022, Margeret Agai, did not finish the race due healthy reasons. After a slower start, Jackline Cherono enjoyed the victory, improving her personal record by up to 6 minutes.

A high number of personal records were also recorded among the best Slovakian runners and many hobby runners too. In total, 17,000 runners from 59 countries participated in all disciplines of the 100th Košice Peace Marathon.

In the fall of this year, the organizers will introduce some themes and projects for 2024 and will also open registration for next year’s race. It will be another of the important milestones, which will be the celebration of the 100th anniversary of the first start of the marathon in Košice. This, as is well known, took place on October 28, 1924.