WHAT HAPPENED AT KOŠICE MARATHON 50 YEARS AGO on Sunday, October 1st,1967

Gösta Leandersson from Sweden and Belgian Aurèle Vandendriessche are the only two runners worldwide who won both of the world's oldest marathons, Boston and Košice.

Vandendriessche won here in 1965 and returned to Eastern Slovakia two years later with a silver medal from the European Championship in 1966. However, it did not work out well for him and finally he did not finish the race due to health problems.

A path to victory opened for one of the most surprising winners in the history of the Košice Peace Marathon.

The Yugoslav Nedjalko Farčić lived and trained in Sweden for several years  arrived to Košice at age of 26 without any significant successes in his running career. When Vandendriessche dropped out, only the Ethiopian Gebru Merawi, who achieved 8th place at the 5,000 metres during the Olympic Games in Rome, was a serious opponent to Farčić.

Farčić beat Merawi by more than a minute pushing him to 2nd place. Later, they both met again at the Mexico Olympic Games with a different outcome; Merawi finished the marathon in 6th place while Farčić withdrew from the race.

RESULTS
Košice Peace Marathon
Sunday, October 1st,1967

1. Nedjalko Farčić / Yugoslavia / 2:20:53.8
2. Merawi Gebru / Ethiopia / 2:21:58.6
3. Anatolij Sucharkov / Soviet Union / 2:22:36.0 

Brano Koniar
Race Director