September 21, 2021 - The 21st Split Marathon will hit the streets this weekend, organized by the Marjan Club. On Saturday, September 25, at 6 pm, the five-kilometer 'Slobodna Dalmacija Trophy' will also take place.
Dalmatinski Portal reports:
"For the first time, I hope we will organize the last marathon in early autumn. We were forced to do this because of the coronavirus. Split is known for being the sportiest city in the world. We are one of the few who will hold marathons in these two years without interruption. The number of participants is slightly smaller than usual, but we are specific in that we have many foreign competitors from as many as 46 countries. That's a record. I hope everyone enjoys what we provide them. I want to ask for the understanding of all our fellow citizens to show patience and support for this event. Everyone who participates in the race will need to have a Covid certificate. For all those who do not have it, we have provided on-site testing," said the president of the organizing committee, Kristijan Sindik.
The Deputy Prefect of Split-Dalmatia County, Stipe Čogelja, emphasized the importance of this event.
"This is a very valuable event. Mr. Čular recently said at the Paralympic reception that our County won more medals at the Paralympics than India. This speaks volumes about the uniqueness of this region and how important sport is. The county recognized that, and this is one of the significant events."
Last year, Ivica Puljak ran the marathon. Today, Puljak is the mayor of Split.
"The atmosphere that is being created around the Split Marathon makes us happy. I ran the marathon last year, and I can testify to how interesting this event is. It is perhaps the most beautiful sporting event I have participated in. I persuaded 13 people to run the marathon. It prompted me to participate. I wish you a sports and tourist weekend this year as well. We prove once again that we are the sportiest city in the world. I won’t run this year, but I will next year."
The mayor of Solin, Dalibor Ninčević, announced that he would also participate in the half marathon this year.
"For the second year in a row, the city of Solin is part of this significant event, which is an important tourist period for the entire Split-Dalmatia County. I am grateful to the organizers for connecting Split and Solin even more. We are a proud sponsor of this event. I will try to run the half marathon this year."
Split Tourist Board director, Alijana Vukšić, is also satisfied.
"The city of Split is constantly branded as a city of culture and sports. The city offers many opportunities and can be branded in all markets. Our guests want to continue their active lifestyle when they come to a destination. This is a specific year, but I hope that this event will return to the pre-season."
The director of the Split-Dalmatia County Tourist Board, Joško Stella, compared this event to Ultra.
"This is a sports Ultra. We watched marathons on television and wondered when they would come to us. That is a huge achievement. We from tourism see that sports tourism is on the rise."
Celebrated Split Olympian Igor Boraska is also looking forward to the marathon.
"Running and marathons have become the lifestyle of hundreds of thousands of people around the world. I was very pleased to be with 60,000 people at the New York City Marathon. I want to congratulate the organizers for bringing the marathon to our city. I wish all marathon participants a good time and time."
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