Events

More than 10,000 runners have already registered for the 18th ČSOB Bratislava Marathon

24. 03. 2023

Bratislava, 24 March 2023 – "Over 3,500 people have signed up in the last three weeks; we are currently at 10,100 participants in all disciplines," Jozef Pukalovič, Manager of the ČSOB Bratislava Marathon 2023 (1 - 2 April), announced at Friday's press conference and informed that registration for most of the disciplines of the Bratislava City Marathon had already closed. "We still have places available in the mini marathon, marathon relay and children's races. However, it is possible that a few places will also open in other disciplines. We are very happy that, after four years, when we are getting back to normal along with everything that goes with it, there is such a great interest in the ČSOB Bratislava Marathon."

"Over 3,500 people have signed up in the last three weeks; we are currently at 10,100 participants in all disciplines," Jozef Pukalovič, Manager of the ČSOB Bratislava Marathon 2023 (1 - 2 April), announced at Friday's press conference and informed that registration for most of the disciplines of the Bratislava City Marathon had already closed. "We still have places available in the mini marathon, marathon relay and children's races. However, it is possible that a few places will also open in other disciplines. We are very happy that, after four years, when we are getting back to normal along with everything that goes with it, there is such a great interest in the ČSOB Bratislava Marathon."

The traditional Bratislava running weekend on Saturday, 1 April (Hobby Day) will be especially popular with children and casual or recreational runners. From 9.30 a.m. there will be a climbers' race (36 registered), from 10.00 a.m. there will be children's races from 300 to 800 m (924), at 2.00 p.m. there will be a mini-marathon (872) and Senior Run & Walk (305) on a 4.2 km route and the opening day will culminate at 4.00 p.m. with a 10 km race (1606). Sunday's main programme (Race Day) will start at 9.00 a.m. on 2 April, with marathoners (1,201), half marathoners (3,419), four-person marathon (124 teams) and half marathon (299 teams) relays running through the city centre.

"Sixteen percent of the registered runners are foreigners from 51 countries; the remaining 84 percent is divided exactly in half between participants from within Bratislava and from outside Bratislava," said the Event Manager, adding more detail to the numbers.

"Spring is coming, the city is coming to life, and this is a sign that one of our most important events, the ČSOB Bratislava Marathon, is approaching. More than 10,000 registered participants makes an amazing number," says Lenka Antalová Plavuchová, Deputy Mayor. "We are glad that we can also contribute to successfully organising this event. The city supports sports clubs and communities and everything that can contribute to a healthy lifestyle."

The first weekend in April 2023 will be the culmination of a year-long effort for the organisers of the 18th ČSOB Bratislava Marathon. In preparation for the event, they have offered those interested six rounds of the School Marathon Games and the finale in the Elán Sports Hall (550 children), which will take place on 30 March, five joint training sessions at the public work-out areas set up by Bratislava City Hall, 32 winter indoor training sessions in Elán, as well as four rounds of the popular ČSOB Winter Marathon Running Series (5104 participants, more than 6000 registered). "A total of around 9,000 people took part in these activities and together with the ČSOB Bratislava Marathon runners, the total number of participants is approaching 20,000," says Jozef Pukalovič.

Daniel Kollár, CEO and ČSOB's Chair of the Board of Directors, aptly remarked that the ČSOB Bratislava Marathon has now come of age, as it’s about to celebrate its eighteenth anniversary: "It's amazing how this event has developed over the years and what it has to offer. This year, thanks to our virtual/remote relay of our employees, we collected €15,000 for the People-to-People project - one euro for every kilometre run. In addition, on Sunday 2 April, we will allow the runners and visitors to the ČSOB Bratislava Marathon to buy a ticket for Bratislava public transport free of charge for up to 24 hours. They will be able to purchase a free ticket via our ČSOB SmartBanking app."

More than 1,000 employees from ČSOB, which is the general partner of the event for the 16th time, will take part in the Bratislava running weekend, while the company's Board of Directors, headed by Daniel Kollár, will also take part in the relay race on the half-marathon course. "We challenged our sister banks in the Czech Republic and Hungary to a duel. Their boards will also run the marathon relay," says the head of ČSOB.

Bratislava City Hall is not in any way lacking, either. As the Deputy Mayor Antalová Plavuchová revealed, approximately 50 employees will take part in one of the disciplines of the 18th ČSOB Bratislava Marathon. "Mayor Vallo will also be at the starting line on Sunday, 2 April. He will be a member of City Hall's marathon relay," says the Deputy Mayor.

The organisers of the Bratislava Running Weekend have prepared a rich accompanying programme for participants and spectators. "On Thursday at 6:30 p.m. there will be a women's workshop with members of the SHEruns running community on how to shape up for the race, on Friday at 5 p.m. the History Run, a guided running tour of the centre of Bratislava, in the evening the Running Gala and on Saturday morning at 9:15 a.m. autograph-signing by Jan Volk and Danka Bartekova. There will be a series of lectures by interesting speakers from the running community at 2 p.m. in the Marathon Hub, e.g., at 3:45 p.m. there will be a discussion with marathon champions Marek Hladik, Estonian Roman Fosti and triathlete Richard Varga," Jozef Pukalovič details the highlights of the ČSOB Bratislava Marathon programme.

However, not just recreational and fitness runners will be running in Bratislava, but also top endurance runners will be at the starting line. For example, the marathon will feature Roman Fosti, multiple Estonian cross-country champion, an Olympic participant in Rio in 2016 and in Tokyo in 2021, with a personal best of 2:10:46 h from 2021, the winner of the CSOB BAM 2021 Miroslav Ilavský (personal best 2:30:55) and Vojtěch Čabala from the Czech Republic, who will attempt the marathon after four top ten finishes in the half marathon (5th best in 2022).

The leading women on the marathon course will include two-times winner of the CSOB BAM (2019, 2021) Barbora Nováková from the Czech Republic and 6-times champion of the Slovak Republic Sylvia Šebestian (2005, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2020, 2021).

In the half-marathon category, in the absence of defending champion Marek Hladik (recovering from an injury), Matúš Hujsa, who was leader of the Slovak marathon tables in 2022 (2:24:55) and finished 8th at the 2022 Police European Championships in Eindhoven, will compete for the first place with his major rival Martin Rusina, third in the Bratislava Marathon a year ago, the Slovak half-marathon leader so far this year with a personal best of 1:08:19 in Barcelona in February (Hujsa then 1:08:25). In the women's competition, the favourites include Lucia Pelikánová, second last year (also 2nd at the 2022 World Championships in the half-marathon), and Zuzana Durcová, former participant in the Youth European Athletics Championships and third in Bratislava in 2019 (also World Championships in the half-marathon).

BRATISLAVA CITY MARATHON (ČSOB Bratislava Marathon 2008 – 2022, Tatra Banka City Marathon 2006 – 2007)

LIST OF WINNERS 2. 4. 2006: Dziuba (PL) 2:33:08 – A. Bérešová (SK) 3:10:43

  1. 4. 2007: Blasinski (PL) 2:25:09 – D. Janečková (SK) 2:56:22
    1. 2008: Remščuk (UA) 2:19:42 – Farkas (HU.) 2:56:29
    1. 2009: Hauryčenko (Belarus) 2:21:40 – Földing-Nagy (HU) 2:50:21
    1. 2010: Kibowen (Kenya) 2:27:39 – L. Koech (Kenya) 2:51:16
    1. 2011: Erkolo (Ethiopia) 2:22:09 – L. Koech (Kenya) 2:45:30
    1. 2012: Samoei (Kenya) 2:21:08 – Murigi (Kenya) 2:42:41
    1. 2013: Chesiny (Kenya) 2:18:33 – L. Koech (Kenya) 2:51:42
    1. 2014: Mwangi (Kenya) 2:18:22 – Kibor (Kenya) 2:42:55
    1. 2015: Tuei (Kenya) 2:17:18 – H. Kimutai (Kenya) 2:35:35
    1. 2016: Čípa (CZ) 2:27:41 – Bódi (HU) 3:12:39
    1. 2017: J. Urban (SK) 2:29:44 – Mertová (CZ) 2:51:49
    1. 2018: Čípa (CZ) 2:22:16 – Néč-Lapinová (SK) 2:58:41
    1. 2019: Gawlik (PL) 2:37:17 – Nováková (CZ) 3:00:27 2020 (virtuálne): M. Puškár (SK) 2:50:37 – Pavelková (SK) 3:40:59
    1. 2021: Ilavský (SK) 2:34:19 – Nováková (CZ) 3:04:15
    1. 2022: Ivaniuta (UA) 2:27:04 – Tarasovová (UA) 2:54:54

NUMBER OF RUNNERS IN THE ČSOB BRATISLAVA MARATHON 2006: 760 2007: 1057 2008: 1668 2009: 2246 2010: 3653 2011: 5723 2012: 6693 2013: 7530 2014: 8036 (8834 registered) 2015: 9284 (10,360 registered) 2016: 11,453 registered 2017: 11,756 registered 2018: 11,823 (13,071 registered) 2019: 11,326 (12,500 registered) 2020 (remote): 1022 2021: 4454 (5000 registered) 2022: 5736 (7500 registered) 2023: 10,100 registered

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