On 19 May the third edition of the Opole Marathon was organized in Opole. Like in the previous year, ASA and Artresan Active were partners of this event.
Apart from the 42.195 km race, three other races took place then: the Fourth Opole Half-Marathon, the Second Company Relay Race "Paying it forward", and the First Festival Race. Altogether, more than 600 runners, 300 volunteers and hundreds of supporters cheering on the participants along the entire route came to Opole. All those who completed the above mentioned races turned out to be very successful, as according to the winners, the conditions were very difficult because of the high temperature.
At 9 o'clock marathon and half-marathon runners started their race, and soon after them, the participants of the Festival Race and the Relay Race commenced their races. The winners of the Opole Festival Race were Kamil Karbowiak and Wioletta Uciechowska. The winner of the Company Relay Race, just like last year, was Toyota. Our Relay Race team (ASA) was sixth among the seventeen participating teams.
The Opole Marathon winner's time was 02 minutes 29.47 seconds. The winner was the favourite in the race - Joel Komen from Kenya. Halina Karnatsevich from Byelorussia was the winner in the women's group. Her time was 02 minutes 54.58 seconds. Adam Czykinowski, a runner in ASA Team "Running for Health", also participated in this "killer" race and was on the 41st position.
Adam Czykinowski: because of my Opole roots, I have met many friends and supporters during the race who cheered and encouraged me to cover the distance of the race.
Every kilometre of the route was perfectly marked. 4 loops led along the Opole streets, bridges, close to the Odra River and a forest. Firemen provided runners with water curtains and I always came right into such a cooling place. I drank a lot of water and isotonic drinks, and I kept on soaking my cap in water so that it would cool my head like a sponge.
The sun was burning on us, 24 degrees; I could feel the hot asphalt giving out heat.
I was trying to find some shade under trees or between the tenement houses in the Opole Old Town. My time was 03 minutes 42.00 seconds net, which gave me the 41st position at the finish line, and in the M-30 age category I was on the tenth position.
We congratulate Adam and the other runner of our Team, Adam Flejterski, who completed the Opole Half-Marathon.
It was the half-marathon that enjoyed the greatest popularity - half of all the participants of the event took part in it, and the majority of them were the inhabitants of Opole and the Opole Region. Arkadiusz Gardzielewski from Śląsk Wrocław with a time of 01 minute 09.58 seconds and Magdalena Białorczyk-Jarzębowska from Byledobiec Anin with a time of 01 minute 26.31 seconds were the winners here.
We would like to invite all running enthusiasts and their supporters to the Fourth Opole Marathon which will be organized on 18 May 2014.