34th Zagreb Powerade Marathon Comes to a Successful Close

The 34th Zagreb Powerade Marathon officially came to a close with the awards ceremonies for the marathon, half marathon, Garmin 10K and relay races. More than 5,000 runners from 70 countries took part in this year’s event, bringing months of preparation, training and dedication to a rewarding conclusion on the streets of Zagreb.

Kenya’s Nahashon Ndegwa Gathingi claimed victory in the 34th Zagreb Powerade Marathon, crossing the finish line in 2:20:56. Croatian runners Ivan Dračar and Tomislav Novosel finished second and third, respectively. In the women’s race, Croatia’s Tea Faber took first place with a time of 2:46:33, a performance that also earned her the titles of Croatian national champion and World Masters Marathon Champion! Manuel Ángel Fernández claimed the men’s World Masters Marathon title, while Croatia’s Ante Živković finished second in the overall World Masters Championship standings.

Hungary’s Gábor Karsai won the half marathon, completing the 21-kilometre course in 1:02:21. Kenya’s Loise Wambui Kiarie was the fastest woman, finishing in 1:16:57. Zagreb’s Dorian Miškulin claimed victory in the Garmin 10K with a time of 31:13, while Matea Parlov Koštro crossed the finish line just under three minutes later as the fastest woman.

The mixed relay was won by Urban Hafner, Janez Mulej, Uroš Gutić and Jan Mačković. Danijel Sitarić, Martin Gregurić, Filip Vuković and Roko Zelda claimed victory in the men’s relay, while Lucija Popić, Cvijeta Rikanović, Stela Dragović and Ana Štefulj formed the winning women’s relay team.

This year, Zagreb also had the honour of hosting the World Masters Marathon Championships, bringing together some of the world’s leading marathon runners aged 35 and over. Ivan Pukšar, President of the Croatian Masters Athletics Association and European representative on the WMA Organising Committee, highlighted the significance of hosting such a prestigious international event:

“We are extremely proud to have had the opportunity to host the World Masters Marathon Championships. The very first Zagreb Marathon in 1992 attracted just around 70 runners. Today, that number has grown to several thousand, and it is wonderful to witness the increasing popularity of running across all age groups, particularly among masters athletes.”

On Saturday, the day before the main races, the course was dedicated to the youngest runners. Due to heavy rainfall, organisers decided not to hold the children’s races as competitive events. Instead, the young participants carefully completed their respective distances of 100 to 600 metres, with everyone receiving a finisher’s medal. Despite the weather, the races were filled with enthusiasm and cheering. Who knows, perhaps this experience will inspire some of the youngest participants to discover a lifelong passion for athletics and sport.

The successful delivery of another Zagreb Powerade Marathon was the result of months of preparation and the combined efforts of numerous organisers, partners and volunteers, emphasised Prof. Marko Jakopović, PhD, President of the Zagreb Athletics Association:

“Every new edition of the Zagreb Marathon is an opportunity to further raise the quality of the event. Organising a sporting event of this scale requires a great deal of work, preparation and coordination, and the greatest reward is seeing all those efforts come together in a successful event on race day. The Zagreb Marathon has a long-standing tradition, but it is equally important that we continue to develop it and set increasingly high standards.”

Sporting events such as the Zagreb Marathon play an important role in promoting the city and Croatian sport internationally. However, what makes a marathon truly special is not only the outstanding athletic performances, but also the thousands of recreational runners pushing their personal limits and the spectators cheering them on along the course.

It is precisely this combination of sporting achievement, personal challenges and community spirit that makes the Zagreb Marathon one of the city’s most prominent sporting events.

The organisers also took the opportunity to thank the people of Zagreb for their enthusiastic support and encouragement along the route, once again contributing to the fantastic atmosphere for which the Zagreb Marathon has become known.