BELGRADE RACE THROUGH HISTORY BACK ON CALENDAR – TERGAT BACKS SPECTACULAR EVENT

The Belgrade Race Through History takes place next Wednesday after a ten year gap. And Paul Tergat, the only man to run all four of the spectacular races around the Belgrade Fortress will be guest of honour.

Five-time world cross champion and former world marathon record holder, Tergat is preparing for the New York Marathon in three weeks’ time, but is bringing two of his young Kenyan trainees to compete in Belgrade next week..

“I loved this race, it was so unusual,” said Tergat this week. “And I never even won it. I was second three times, and third. But I always said I’d like to end my career with this race”.

The race is as unusual as its title. It is a seven kilometre mix of park pathways, grass and cobblestones around the legendary Kalemegdan Fortress, which stands above the confluence of the Danube and Sava rivers, with a traceable history of well over 2000 years.

“It took us three years to inaugurate, and ten years to revive,” said Race Director Dejan Nikolic, who also organises the annual Belgrade Marathon. “It was quite simply money problems, but we also had to convince a lot of people again, to let us hold it on the Fortress”.

Nikolic admits that the field is not as strong as in former years, but said, “We just wanted to reestablish it this year, and with the help of the International Athletics Foundation and the City of Belgrade, we are happy to have it again”.
 

Pat Butcher
www.globerunner.org