Sports
The Ljubljana Marathon
The Sky’s the Limit
22.10.2007
With its now traditional marathon, Ljubljana has joined other cities around the world where the 42-kilometre race is not only one of its main sporting events but also one of its major social occasions.
The 12th staging of the Ljubljana marathon, which takes place on 28th October this year, is testimony to its success. Since its inception in 1996, when less than 500 runners took part, the marathon has grown by nearly 20% annually and last year 3,405 runners jostled for positions at the starting line. The Ljubljana marathon is not the only event of its type in Slovenia. The Radenci marathon, which is held in May, has a much longer history, however, it did not take long before Ljubljana could lay claim to having the country’s premier foot race. The organisers have been gradually adding support events, such as a 10-kilometre race and races varying in length from 200 to 4,200 metres for pre-school, primary and secondary school children. This year, they have added charity races of between 700 and 2,100 metres meaning virtually anybody can now take part. And it’s not just the locals who are doing so, as people come from all around Slovenia to join in the fun.
Together with the support events, the number of participants topped the 8,000 mark last year and organisers are hoping to see more than 10,000 this year. At the time of writing, 6,766 people had registered (4,267 for the full and half marathons) from 31 countries, including the USA (12 runners) and Great Britain (48). The entry fee for the marathon and half marathon is EUR 31 and EUR 20 for the 10-kilometre race plus another EUR 4 for the timing chip; the deadline for applications is 23rd October. For more information, log onto www.ljubljanskimaraton.si.
The popularity of running has increased enormously in recent years and the trails around Ljubljana and elsewhere in the country are full of joggers and serious runners. The Ljubljana marathon has definitely played a major role in this as have the media, especially the widely read Polet (a weekly supplement in the Delo newspaper), which publishes running related articles throughout the year. It also puts together teams of absolute beginners and prepares them to compete in either the half marathon or, what marathon enthusiasts like to say is the only real marathon, the full 42-kilometre event. Last year, 596 men and 70 women completed the full marathon and 9 men have completed all 11 held so far. Popularity wise, Ljubljana is still a long way short of the New York marathon, where a lottery decides who gets to run; however, given the size of the population the numbers joining the Slovenian event are impressive.