Đuro Borbelj – the “accidental winner” of the 5th Subotica Half Marathon
We are getting closer to the 7th Subotica Half Marathon, with a little less than a month to go. We are impatient and can’t wait for Subotica to become once again, at least for one day, a city whose streets will be run by hundreds of runners of almost all ages.
Our interviewee today is Đuro Borbelj, who in 2022 took first place in the men’s race at the 5th Subotica Half Marathon. Although he had no intention of taking part and came only to support his better half, we believe things “fell into place” just as they should have. An athlete since forever.
After suffering a serious injury playing football, he joined the athletes of the Apatin athletics club, who often ran on the embankment near his house. “It turned out to be a good choice of sport for me. The benefits of running are manifold, starting with health, business benefits, you travel a lot, it is a chance to visit cities and places where you can see beautiful things and meet many new friends, and finally there is also that financial benefit.”
According to him, running requires great sacrifice and a kind of renunciation when it comes to the time, work and effort invested. “The very fact that you want bigger and better results requires a greater sacrifice, and your results are proportional to it. On a scale of 1 to 5, for my current results the sacrifice is at 3, which says how much more you have to work to reach a world or European level.”
When we asked him about his experience and impressions of the 5th Subotica Half Marathon, Đuro Borbelj says the following: “It was hellishly hot, I had no plan to run then, but since my girlfriend wanted to, I went with her and used that time to run the race as a tempo long run, and it turned out that in the end I won. As for the organisation, I have to say it was at a high level, except that I think the first-placed competitors should be rewarded a little more, bearing in mind the large number of registered competitors.”
Our interviewee believes that holding the Subotica Half Marathon is very important for Subotica as a city, because holding the half marathon encourages a great many people, especially those who don’t do sport, to start. “Including athletics, that is running, above all for health and then everything else. A big city like Subotica must have an event like this, because it is simply necessary alongside today’s fast, let’s say online, life, and it is also an opportunity for people to be more sociable, more active and above all healthier.”
To all beginners planning to register for one of the athletics races or a half marathon, Đuro advises finding a professional coach and patiently and wisely working out a plan with them, setting a target race, preparing for it in a planned way and in good quality, and then the race will be a real pleasure. If they don’t make it this year, there is always next year. “For me personally, running is a lifestyle, love of sport, a healthy way of life, a day full of energy, an escape from bad company and the street, and a view of life in a normal and right direction.”