Every year in June the Zakopane Running Weekend with Sokół takes place. For three days, lovers of this sport can try out three routes of different distances and difficulty levels, leading along the beautiful Tatra Mountains. Sokół has been running around the Tatra Mountains for twelve years, and the history of the competition and the gymnastics club dates back to the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries.
Over the past dozen or so years, the Zakopane Running Weekend, which started out as a small, intimate event organised by enthusiasts for enthusiasts, has grown considerably, constantly evolving and raising its profile. At the same time, mountain running as a sport was developing and becoming popular in Poland. Currently, the “Zakopane Running Weekend with Sokół” takes place every year at the turn of May and June. It includes the Sokół Run, which is about 15 km long and takes place on three days, the Count Władysław Zamoyski Run, which is about 10 km long, and the High Mountain Run, which is named after dh. Franciszek Marduła over a distance of 32 km and with an altitude of 2218 m – this is also the Polish Skyrunning Championship and one of the most extreme races in Poland. The annual Sokół Grand Prix is an additional challenge for the most persistent runners who complete all three races.
Thanks to their location in the Tatra National Park, in the midst of beautiful mountain scenery, these races are challenging and extremely spectacular, and thanks to their varying degrees of difficulty and distances, they attract the best professionals and amateurs, as well as numerous fans. They have been awarded several times by the biggest running portals and are of constant interest to runners from all over Poland and abroad.
Mandatory equipment for the Marduła Run
- A charged mobile phone with the number of the race coordinator saved,
- water bottle with a capacity of at least 0.5 l / softflask / cup (to choose from),
- NRC foil,
- whistle.
Equipment may be checked immediately before the start and along the course. Missing one item will result in a 10 minute time penalty. Missing two items will result in disqualification. The organiser reserves the right not to allow anyone to start who does not meet the legal requirements. If a participant is disqualified from the race due to non-compliance with the legal requirements, the entry fee will not be refunded.
By organising these events, the “Sokół” Gniazdo Gymnastics Club in Zakopane aims to promote a healthy lifestyle and running as a public form of sport and recreation, to promote the Tatras, Zakopane and the Tatra region, to popularise patriotic and sporting ideas according to the motto “A healthy mind in a healthy body”, and to commemorate the memory of Count Zamoyski – a patriot, a great man of the Tatras and Zakopane, and his friend Franciszek Marduńa – an outstanding violin maker, sportsman and teacher.
Courses:
Marduła High Mountain Run – Distance: ~32 km Elevation: +/- 2218 m
Falcon Run – Distance: ~15,6 km Elevation: +/- 1013 m
Zamoyski Run – Distance: 10 km Elevation: +/- 430 m
Event website: www.biegisokole.pl
Photography: Dariusz Boroń
Source: materials of the event organizer