Running with history in the background
Crown of Polish Marathons and Cracovia Marathon.
races / discover
Runners often dream of running in a real marathon. Those who have already gained experience in this type of competition can take on an even greater challenge – winning the “Crown of Polish Marathons”. This is a project, a kind of award for marathon runners, initiated and run by the organisers of the Cracow Marathon.
The idea of this challenge is very simple – within two years you have to participate and finish the five most important marathons organised in Poland, which take place in Krakow, Dębno, Wrocław, Warsaw and Poznań. Although each of these marathons is unique in its own way, what they have in common is prestige, professional organisation and, above all, the distance of 42,195 metres. Those willing to take on this challenge can start with any of the marathons mentioned, but the most important thing is to complete them all within 24 months. It’s not about breaking time records, because just taking part in such a challenge is a huge achievement in itself. Just get started and cross the finish line.
But is the “Crown of Polish marathons” accessible to everyone? The organisers of these events, sponsors and the media are conducting extensive campaigns to promote regular long-distance running and systematic preparation for marathons, and to emphasise that improper preparation can be a huge risk to health and life. Running, even at a recreational level, should be practised with regularity and awareness. It should be combined with training that strengthens the major muscle groups and with comprehensive medical checks.
For those who accept this challenge, the “Crown of Polish Marathons” becomes a life goal. Marathon running is a difficult but beautiful sport. If we prepare for it properly, it can become our life’s passion. The “Crown of Polish Marathons” is not only a sporting achievement, but also one of the most beautiful challenges in our lives.
Established in 2002, the Cracovia Marathon is the most important running event in Krakow and the largest spring marathon in Poland. Since 2014, the race starts and finishes on Krakow’s picturesque Main Square, which is a unique attraction for participants. The event’s motto, ‘With history in the background’, perfectly reflects the nature of the course, which takes runners past many of Krakow’s monuments.
The Cracovia Marathon attracts runners from all over the world, making it the most international of all Polish marathons and the one with the largest number of foreign participants. Previous editions have attracted runners from 55 different countries. In December 2019, the British website Sole Supplier evaluated marathons certified by the IAAF (now World Athletics), taking into account a number of factors related to organisation and environmental conditions. In this prestigious ranking, the Cracovia Marathon took third place, being the only representative of Poland.
The 42km, 195m race is the highlight of the two-day running festival in Krakow. During the Cracovia Marathon, a 10km night run is also organised, which since 2018 starts and finishes on the main square, the same place as the marathon runners. Since 2016, the Cracow Sports Infrastructure Centre (ZIS), which organises the Cracovia Marathon on behalf of the City of Cracow, as well as the Cracovia Royal Half Marathon and the Three Mounts Run, has been awarding a special prize to people who complete all three events in one running season. This initiative, which combines these three outstanding running events, is called the “Royal Running Triad”.
Crown of Polish Marathons website: zis.krakow.pl/korona-maratonow-polskich
Cracovia Marathon website: cracoviamaraton.pl
Photography: S. Gruchalski