September 29th is just around the corner! The countdown to the race is on, and the 46th Nationale-Nederlanden Warsaw Marathon promises to be a celebration for runners, fans, and all of Warsaw. For some, achieving their dream of conquering the marathon is about sightseeing along the course, while others will be chasing personal bests. What can we expect from the competition among the fastest runners? Who will cross the finish line first? Which national team will take home the victory in the team competition? Last year’s champions, Levente Szemerei and Ewa Jagielska, are back on the start list, along with Mateusz Kaczor, Andrzej Rogiewicz, Izabela Paszkiewicz, and Maryna Nemchenko.
Individual Competition
Last year, at the 45th Nationale-Nederlanden Warsaw Marathon, Hungary’s Levente Szemerei and Poland’s Ewa Jagielska claimed the individual titles. This year, they’re both set to compete again!
Among the men, there are several potential favorites. In addition to the defending champion from Hungary, the list includes Dorian Boulvin from Belgium, winner of the Warsaw Half Marathon in March (and making his marathon debut), Poland’s Mateusz Kaczor, runner-up in the spring half marathon, Ukraine’s Mykola Nyzhnyk, and the surprising Polish half-marathon silver medalist Andrzej Rogiewicz. Also in the mix is Yonas Kinde, born in Ethiopia and now representing Luxembourg, who competed in the Rio Olympics as part of the Refugee Olympic Team. Last year’s third-place finisher, Vitaliy Shafar, is also expected to be among the lead pack. Earlier this year, Mateusz Kaczor might have been considered the favorite, but his slightly underwhelming performance at the September Praga Half Marathon (finishing in 1:05) leaves the men’s competition wide open.
On paper, Poland’s Izabela Paszkiewicz, with a personal best of 2:27:41, is the favorite among the women. However, there’s a caveat—three weeks before the marathon, her half marathon time in a warm-up race was 1:16. Does this mean anything? Maybe, maybe not. A control race in 28°C heat, in the middle of intense training, might just be a strategic move. Ukraine’s Olga Nyzhnyk and Maryna Nemchenko, both of whom made the podium last year, will be looking to challenge her. However, it was Ewa Jagielska who outran them both last year, showcasing her rapid progress.
Could Jagielska pull off another sensational win? Why not? It’s a tactical race without pacemakers, so experience will be a key factor. If the pace isn’t grueling from the start, we can’t rule out Belgium’s Karen Van Proeyen joining the leading group. While we don’t know for sure who will win, we do know it’s going to be an exciting race!
TEAM UP! Europe – Team Competition
Last year saw the debut of a new sporting format at the Warsaw Marathon – TEAM UP! Europe. In this competition, Ukraine took home the victory as the best team.
To recap the rules: the final team result is based on the combined time of one male and one female runner. This year, we have thirteen national teams representing nine countries at the start line. The top contenders for victory seem to be:
– Poland (Mateusz Kaczor/Izabela Paszkiewicz),
– Belgium (Dorian Boulvin/Karen Van Proeyen),
– Ukraine (Maryna Nemchenko/Vitaliy Shafar and the married duo Mykola Nyzhnyk/Olga Nyzhnyk).
A podium finish for Germany (Ihlow/Beese), Hungary (Szemerei/Kovacs-Garami), or Poland’s second team (Przybyła/Jagielska) would be a surprise, while any of the other six teams making it would be considered an upset.
But of course, this is sport, and anything can happen!
Starting list:
– Ukraine 1: Mykola Nyzhnyk, Olga Nyzhnyk
– Ukraine 2: Vitaliy Shafar, Maryna Nemchenko
– Poland 1: Adrian Przybyła, Ewa Jagielska
– Poland 2: Mateusz Kaczor, Izabela Paszkiewicz
– Poland 3: Krzysztof Gosiewski, Dominika Stelmach
– Hungary 1: Levente Szemerei, Katalin Kovacs-Garami
– Hungary 2: Peter Jenkei, Zsofia Erdelyi
– Belgium: Dorian Boulvin, Karen Van Proeyen
– Finland: Aki Nummela, Mari Ulkuniemi
– Czech Republic: Michal Majoros, Ondrej Fejfar, Petra Pastorova
– Luxembourg: Yonas Kinde, Shirley Kap
– Germany: Nic Ihlow, Florentine Beese
Individual runners without a team:
– Andrzej Rogiewicz (Poland)
Join us for the 46th Nationale-Nederlanden Warsaw Marathon!
Event website: https://maratonwarszawski.com/
TEAM UP! Europe presentations: https://www.instagram.com/team_up_europe/
