Gyula Mester, Olympic champion, promoter of the 2nd Subotica Half Marathon

On 1 August a press conference was held at the City Hall on the occasion of the 2nd Subotica Half Marathon, which will be held on 2 September in Subotica.

The first to address the journalists, as a member of the city administration, was Zsuzsanna Magosi, assistant to the Mayor, who said that the combination of sport and Art Nouveau has proved successful and interesting, bearing in mind that the organisers’ primary intention is to provide a beautiful visual experience through running.

Bálint Pásztor, Member of the Serbian Parliament, in this case also as a member of the sports association Horizont, the organiser of this race, expressed his satisfaction that on 2 September this race, unique in Serbia, will become a tradition.

There are several successful road races in Serbia with which we do not want to compete, but it is our wish to build a quality race in Subotica, because, as we see it, we have all the predispositions for that. Above all because we have the most beautiful course in Serbia, which many have spoken about, said Pásztor.

Every race has its promoter. Today Gyula Mester, Olympic champion from Sydney and also holder of a gold medal from the European Championship in the Czech Republic, was officially presented as promoter of the 2nd Subotica Half Marathon; he gladly accepted to be the face of this sporting event.

I thank the organisers for finding the strength and resources this year too to hold this sporting event, because I know it is a serious job and organisation, especially when it comes to mass races. I hope that people in Serbia will support this competition and hurry with their registrations, because the race is limited to 800 competitors. I also hope that the people of Subotica, especially those who cannot or do not want to run, will come and give the runners their full support, so that we send a beautiful picture from our city.

Following last year’s recipe, several races will be held, starting with the youngest, aged 1 to 10. These are races of 150, 300, 400 and 500 m. The pleasure race is 5 km long with a time limit of 3 hours, which is also the limit for the half marathon, which is 21.1 km long. The race starts at 10.30 in front of the National Theatre building. Also, following last year’s example, the race course will not change, so all those who ran last year can expect the same challenge, and, as Damir Dulić, member of the association Horizont, said, hopefully in nice and pleasant weather. This year’s race will differ from last year’s by one innovation, which would set the Subotica Half Marathon apart from all races in Serbia, and that is insurance for every participant in the race. Namely, by paying the entry fee on the website www.supm.rs, every runner is insured for the duration of the race in case of injury during the event, without any special additional charges. Another novelty compared to last year’s race is that the course is certified, which means that records will be recognised at national and world level.

Around 300 people will be involved in organising the race. The organiser is the association Horizont, wholeheartedly helped by the City of Subotica as well as numerous sponsors, whose team OTP Bank officially joined today.

text: Žika Savin

photo: Tomislav Dedović-Tomić