How many times have you been able to invite your friends to the 100th edition of some marathon?
So far this situation occured only once in Boston in 1996. And is going to happen again. The oldest marathon in Europe will be run for the 100th time on October 1, 2023.
Košice Marathon Milestones & Highlights
- The marathon in Košice was founded in 1924 after its organizers visited and got inspired by the Olympic Games in Paris.
- Already in 1931, the fastest time of the year was achieved here. Juan Carlos Zabala crossed the finish line with 2:31:28 time and year later won the Olympics in Los Angeles.
- Not even the World War II interrupted the marathon story and ‘Peace’ attribute became the integral part of the name of the race.
- In 1960, a unique Statue of a marathon runner was built in Košice and instantly became the significant city monument. On the statue pedestal the names of all winners are displayed.
- Gradually, the greatest runners in world history ran in Košice. Olympic winners Abebe Bikila, Mamo Wolde and Waldemar Cierpinski, European champion Ron Hill, world record holder Derek Clayton and many others.
- In 1997, the IAAF World Half Marathon Championships were held here and ended up being a great success. Today marathon is still organized on the same course. Current records, which are set at 2:07:01 and 2:24:04 are the best proves of the quality of this course.
- In 2013, Košice held the title of European Capital of Culture, which contributed to building new modern city infrastructure used also during the marathon.
- In 2020, Sebastian Coe awarded Košice Peace Marathon with the World Athletics Heritage Plaque.
REGISTER FOR 100TH KOŠICE MARATHON NOW!
