6027 runners participated in the 2016 edition of Warsaw Marathon. Ezekial Omullo, who represented Kenia, turned out to be the fastest with a time of 02:08:55. The best from the Polish competitors was Yared Shegumo. As for women, Gladys Kibiwott from Bahrain won the first place. Anna Szyszka was the first Pole to finish the Marathon and overall she took the fourth place.
The 38. PZU Warsaw Marathon is behind us. In many ways it was an exceptional, even historic event. The participants started their run at the gate of University of Warsaw to celebrate the 200 birthday of this educational institution. The gate of University was also commemorated on this year’s medal. The 200th anniversary was also celebrated with an unique, marathon-themed photography exhibition, shown on the Krakowskie Przedmiescie street.
The first one to cross the finish line located near the Multimedia Fountain Park at the Vistula riverbank was a runner from Kenia, Ezekial Omullo, with a time of 02:08:55. This marks the second best time in the history of Warsaw Marathon. The Polish favourite Yared Shegumo finished in sixth place with a time of 02:15:05.
The best female participant was Gladys Kibiwott from Bahrain. She managed to beat the race with a time of 02:36:34. The first Pole to cross the finish line, Anna Szyszka, was fourth with a time of 02:50:18.
Not only professional runners had tested their strength during the 38. PZU Warsaw Marathon. A famous Polish actor Bartlomiej Topa started together with Adrian, a kid in care of the Synapsis foundation. Topa entered the marathon relay competition, one of the companion events of the 38. PZU Warsaw Marathon. His participation was a part of #BiegamDobrze – the first project in Poland based on running for charity model. This action allows the participants to help six pre-chosen foundations. The aim of Bartek and Adrian was to support people with autism and raise money for the specialist treatments. As of yet #BiegamDobrze project managed to raise approximately one million polish zloty from its implementation.
Polish Olympic race walker Robert Korzeniowski was another celebrity to run the 38. PZU Warsaw Marathon. He participated in the 5K run, the other companion event of the Marathon. This way Robert helped to raise money for children in need for the T-Mobile Pomoc Mierzona Kilometrami charity action. He finished at 39 place with a time of 00:17:26.
5924 runners managed to beat the distance of 42 kilometres and 195 meters. Together with the people who took part in the companion events, the Warsaw Marathon managed to involve 9504 participants. The organisers prepared 30 special ‘cheer points’ on the track. Thousands of fans had used this opportunity to express their support. This included music bands, drummers, dancers and even the University choir.
We want to thank all of the participants and spectators of the 38. PZU Warsaw Marathon for unforgettable sports atmosphere. We thank You for being there. This year’s event was a success based on numerous runner’s passion, hard work of the much-optimistic participants and professional sponsors and business partners, who never let us down.
