Running a marathon or half marathon - this dream did not let me go for a long time, but for some reason was put in a very long box. I am in love agreeing to run with my friends in the morning, because I was running to the soul from the school bench. Everyone knows that it is a very useful habit - running helps to keep fit, improves the cardiovascular system, and also calms the nervous system and allows you to get away from the urgent problems - to clear the head.
As a simple fan of running in the park, I became a participant half marathon in Katowice? In fact, it's a coincidence - there was a chance and I didn't miss it. Leaving Ukraine, I moved to Poland, where fate threw me to the town of Katowice. In my search for entertainment, I began to learn about events and activities that could be attended. It was then that my attention was drawn to the "PKO Silesia Marathon" - it was the same chance to make a long-held dream come true. I didn't think about it and put it off until later - such a wonderful opportunity came up just when it was necessary.
“Silesia Marathon” was launched in 2009 - first race відбувся 3 травня. Траса марафону пролягала вулицями чотирьох міст: Катовіце, Мисловіце, Семяновіце-Шльонське та Хожув. Старт проходив крізь ворота “Slaski Stadion” в Хожуві, а його фініш був у місті Катовіце перед спортивно-концертним комплексом “Spodek”.У якості почесного стартера найпершого вуличного марафону в Катовіце було обрано професора Є. Бузека. Організатор перегонів – Б. Витвицький, президент фонду “Silesia Pro-Active”, та й просто фанат бігу. У 2010 році марафон було обмежено межами одного міста, але в наступних своїх редакціях марафон знову почав проводитись вулицями та парками чотирьох міст, що складають Верхньосілезьку агломерацію.
He started preparing for his first half marathon in 3 months - several times a week he went for a jog to get used to the heavy workload, gradually increasing the distance.
How was your registration?
To participate in the half marathon "Silesia Marathon" had to pay a starting fee of 85 zlotys - about 500 hryvnias. The day before the start of the marathon, participants are given a starter pack - in my I found a nice t-shirt with a half marathon logo, a backpack and my number with a chip.
Run
In the morning, there was no problem, which at the time seemed to me to be very global. The fact that the place where you had to stop was located just off the marathon track. Even the bus routes have changed and it is unclear whether they will be walking on race day. Sunday is a very special day for the Poles when people go to church with their families, so it is not difficult to catch a taxi that day, but almost impossible.
When there was almost no hope, it was a miracle - I was saved by, you will not believe, a small red backpack. Suddenly a car stopped in front of me, where the same Polish participant of the half marathon sat. He recognized me exactly on this backpack and kindly agreed to take me to such a long-awaited dream. We got to the start point in time, wished each other success and went their separate ways.
Then everything was just as it was done at marathons - participants performed a warm-up and got ready for the start. There were so many people - it's so nice to see so many runners sharing one hobby. When I ran, I overtook some participants, because there was still a lot of strength, but for the sake of justice, I was also overtaken. Somewhere within 10 kilometers I kept cheerful and confident, did not fall out of the whirlwind of events, but then the troubles began. Initially, the laces were released - a trifle compared to what happened next.
When I stopped to fix the laces on the sneakers, a sharp pain was felt in my right leg. The feeling was so painful - it seemed that all the scars, all the traumas that had accumulated all my life together made me aware. I was already mentally prepared to drop it and put a stop to my participation in the half marathon - not all at once. But then I remembered the words of my parents, who were immediately against my participation in such a race, and everyone said that something bad would necessarily happen.
Stubbornness and a little rest gave me new strength to keep running. I no longer began to gain speed, and at a comfortable pace, I slowly ran along the route towards the finish line with my red backpack behind my back.
The finish line is located in the stadium “"Slaski Stadion”. What about the half marathon - it was definitely worth it. I can't even remember when he was so pleased and inspired by his successes. There is so much emotion to convey that I felt crossing the finish line. The pain then disappeared, it just wasn't there at all.
I enjoyed the "Silesia Marathon" half marathon, and I can only see a lot of advantages, including:
- crazy support from the audience on the route, which is very motivating to go to the end and not stop;
- the race route ran not only through the streets of the city, but also through beautiful parks with unsurpassed autumn scenery;
- at the finish I was waiting for delicious treats from the organizers.
My result of the first half marathon - 21 kilometers I managed to overcome in 2 hours 33 minutes. Do not doubt it is not the last race in my life, I further promise only to improve my results.
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