On October 17, the 13th PKO Poznań Half Marathon was held. After a two-year break, more than 5,000 athletes ran through the streets of the city. The participants covered a distance of 21 kilometers. As per tradition, the course finished at the site of the Poznań International Fair, Poland’s largest industrial exhibition. This year, the half-marathon medals reflected the century-old history of the event.
Marcin Nagodzinski, Sales Specialist at AsstrA, shares his experience running this race and how it fit in with his training regimen.
Marcin Nagodzinski
"My calendar for this year is full of sports events. I have been training intensively 5-6 times a week and have already completed two quarter ironman triathlons consisting of 950 meter swims, 45 km bike rides, and 10.5 km runs. So for me this half marathon was just a warm-up. I decided to take part in the race in Poznań with the AsstrA Loves Sports team to train for a half ironman in which I will swim, cycle, and run a total of 113 km," shares Marcin Nagodzinski.
Despite the pandemic, the half marathon drew participants from 27 countries. The largest cohort was aged 30 – 39 years.
"We got very lucky with the weather during the race. The clear conditions and brisk temperature of 13 degrees celsius were perfect for sports. The fans’ support helped us too. A strict sanitary regime in effect. A virtual race was also available for anyone interested,” continues Marcin Nagodzinski.
The half marathon organizers arranged a resting place for the participants. Experts were on hand to give training advice and recommend sports equipment. Several other events were held in tandem, including a running festival for teenagers and children aged 5-8 as well as the Poznań Sport Expo, which exhibited collections of athletic clothes, shoes, and accessories.
"Next year I will continue training hard. I plan to participate in four or five quarter and half ironman triathlons. I'll also tackle the full-length Poznań Marathon,” concludes Marcin Nagodzinski.