The 102nd Košice Peace Marathon was good for the runners. Not only by the weather, but also by fantastic performances. Kenya's Moses Kipngetich Kemei won a new track record with a time of 2:06:47 h, which also set a personal record. Among the women, Balemelay Shumet Kebede from Ethiopia triumphed with a time of 2:21:56 h. U. S. Steel Košice is proud to be a long - term general partner of the Košice Peace Marathon.The winners were decorated by the Deputy President of U. S. Steel Košice Mike Piekut.

Among the almost 18,000 participants, there were also many of our colleagues, steelworkers, on the track. The vanguard of the runners was traditionally handbike and inline half marathon runners. Among the elite speed skaters who stood at the start this year thanks to meeting the performance limit, there were as many as three of our colleagues: Pavol Dubecký (Finishing), Erik Mlatiček (Transportation division) and Lucia Petrovičová (Finance). The men overcame the 20-kilometer track in almost the same time: Pavol in 45:06 min and Erik in 45:47 min, placing 12th and 13th. Lucia, as a hobby skater, achieved a great time of 58:19 min.

In the discipline of marathon, the queen of all races, more than 3600 runners measured their strength. This year, our colleagues – runners were wearing uniform running T-shirts with the USS logo. Thanks to them, you can easily recognize them in the photo gallery.

Slavomír Albrecht from Maintenance division was the first of our colleagues to cross the finish line, with a time of 3:15:49:
"I ran very well. The morning was a bit colder, so I took gloves to the start, but after 10 km I didn't need them and I could run just fine in a tank top and shorts. I would also like to thank you for providing T-shirts and vests, we acted as "one family" on the track. For me, the greatest experience is the whole marathon, its amazing atmosphere, tireless encouragement of the spectators to the finish, I already have the impression that I am not running for myself but for them. My goal has been to run to the finish line in good health for several years and enjoy not only the marathon, but also the moments after it. And the time under 3:20 h is pleasing, so I'm satisfied with the final time."

Peter Tulenko from the Purchasing department reached the finish line as the 331st racer: "The feelings are really fantastic. The first 33 kilometers were amazing for me - great pace, regular hydration, great atmosphere and the people around the track cheered tirelessly. Pacemakers - drivers took great care of us, cleared the track for us marathon runners, gave us magnesium and grape sugar, for which they deserve a big thank you. I was already fighting with myself in the last kilometers, but I didn't give up because I was so close to the finish."

The only female steelmaker on the 42.7-kilometer track was Katarína Vojaček from IT, finishing in a fantastic time, 3:56:06 h.

The half marathon with more than 6000 athletes started in seven waves. In the penultimate one was Miloš Fodor, general manager for the environment. In trainings, he ran 200 km more than last year and it showed: "I had a great feeling on the track. The endorphins and emotions at the start and during the run were fantastic and a big thank you goes to all the people of Košice who are able to make the atmosphere at the Košice Peace Marathon unrepeatable. Moyzesova Street was almost completely full of spectators, which was brilliant, because it is a difficult section for all runners. It helped me a lot."

Viktória Rešteiová and Peter Kubík ran the half marathon as one team. "It's a great experience, the whole city is on its feet, people along the track are tirelessly cheering. In such an atmosphere and with such a great running partner as Viktoria, it is easy to run. We help each other, we pull each other forward and the audience supports us wonderfully. We improved our time compared to last year by almost 13 minutes. We are already looking forward to next year," says Peter Kubík.

Our colleagues were also present in the relay runs. We saw Gabriel Tréfa, Vjačeslav Kupko and colleagues from the Purchasing department were also running. We talked to Vice President
Elena Petrášková before the start: "Our team has been part of the Košice Peace Marathon for the third year, in memory of my late husband. This year we have grown, we already have two relays and I am very happy that we also have a colleague from the coking plant Zuzana Sýkorová and Daniel Rybarský from The Power Engineering Division with his wife. So in the relay, the family connected with colleagues from work. It's great that our company supports this event, every year we see more and more runners on the track."

Daniel Rybarský has been part of the relay called Peťo team from the beginning: "Knowing who we are running for drives us forward – and maybe that's why we overcome ourselves. This day is not only about overcoming our own limits, but also about beautiful moments spent together – because in this hectic world, we don't always know how to indulge in them. At the end of the day, we are all full of endorphins, we are happy about the result together and we feel proud."

Košice Peace Marathon is known for its atmosphere, the kindness of spectators and enthusiasm among competitors. It was no different this year. We congratulate all our athletes on their performance and wish them many nice sports experiences. Here are a few more of their reactions:

Eva Marková, half marathon:
"On this year's half marathon track, I met Peter, a classmate from elementary school. I haven't heard from him for about ten years. So it was miles of talking and reminiscing to the finish."

Jaroslav Herbert, half marathon:
"This year's Košice Half Marathon was not only a sporting event for me, but also an exceptional social experience that I will remember fondly.  I ran very well, also thanks to the colder weather, which was good for the runners. One of the greatest experiences was meeting familiar faces right on the track – colleagues who ran with me. Since we had uniform T-shirts from U. S. Steel, we were easily recognizable and looked like one team on the track. I was also pleased with the encouragement of other colleagues and their families among the spectators. Such support gives energy and motivation to handle even more difficult sections.  My goal was to run a better time than last year – and I managed to achieve this goal. Of course, there is always room for improvement, but this progress motivates me to continue."

Peter Kaszonyi, half marathon:
"On Sunday I ran my seventh half marathon and since it is my birthday at the time of Košice Peace Marathon, I am giving myself a nice gift.  I ran great, I used what I had trained and I'm satisfied with the result.  The atmosphere at the marathon is always unreal. On some sections, where there are a large number of people and especially children who reach out to give you high five, you feel like you are at the Tour de France. And that's why this incredible atmosphere is worth working on in training and running the Košice marathon. The experience is unforgettable.  This year we ran a half marathon together with my son and last year my daughter ran a relay, so running is slowly taking root in our family."

Results of our athletes

Photo gallery: Arpád Köteles