Belgrade Race Through History
Encyclopedia
The Belgrade Race Through History (Serbian
Cyrillic: Београдска Трка Кроз Историĵу) is an annual men's footrace of around 6 kilometres (5834 metres) that is held in Belgrade
, Serbia
. The course of the race traces a path through the capital's ancient fortress; the Kalemegdan
. The purpose of the race is to emphasise the history and culture of the city through sport
. The contest's unusual setting means that it incorporates aspects of road running
, cross country running
and trail running
: it passes through roads, cobblestone walkways, grassy areas and bridges.
First held in 1996, the competition continued annually through its fourth running in 1999. The 1999 NATO bombing of Yugoslavia
did not prevent the race from taking place that year, even though three months of bombardment had damaged power plants, water supplies, and industrial and residential areas throughout the city. The date was changed to October and it was the first major international sporting event to be held in Belgrade following the Kosovo War
. At that point it went through a ten-year hiatus, due to funding problems, but the event was revived in 2009. The competition shares an organisation committee with the Belgrade Marathon
and the two events have often been held in proximity to each other.
The course, which follows a switchback-style
path, does not allow for a large number of runners and throughout its history no more than thirty athletes have taken part in each competition. As a result, the competitors tend to be some of the best professional long distance runners. Paul Tergat
, the former Marathon world record holder and two-time Olympic silver medallist, competed at all four races in the 1990s and was the guest of honour at the reopening in 2009. Boniface Kirui won the race's comeback event in 17 minutes and 15 seconds, with second-placed Joseph Kiptoo Birech finishing with the same time. Josphat Menjo set a course record to win the following year in a race where three others dipped under the previous best mark.
Serbian language
Serbian is a form of Serbo-Croatian, a South Slavic language, spoken by Serbs in Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Croatia and neighbouring countries....
Cyrillic: Београдска Трка Кроз Историĵу) is an annual men's footrace of around 6 kilometres (5834 metres) that is held in Belgrade
Belgrade
Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...
, Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
. The course of the race traces a path through the capital's ancient fortress; the Kalemegdan
Kalemegdan
Belgrade Fortress , represent old citadel and Kalemegdan Park on the confluence of the River Sava and Danube, in an urban area of modern Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. It is located in Belgrade's municipality of Stari Grad...
. The purpose of the race is to emphasise the history and culture of the city through sport
Sport
A Sport is all forms of physical activity which, through casual or organised participation, aim to use, maintain or improve physical fitness and provide entertainment to participants. Sport may be competitive, where a winner or winners can be identified by objective means, and may require a degree...
. The contest's unusual setting means that it incorporates aspects of road running
Road running
Road running is the sport of running on a measured course over an established road . These events would be classified as long distance according to athletics terminology, with distances typically ranging from 5 kilometers to 42.2 kilometers in the marathon. They may involve large numbers of runners...
, cross country running
Cross country running
Cross country running is a sport in which people run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open country, and include hills, flat ground and sometimes gravel road...
and trail running
Trail running
Trail running is a variant on running that differs markedly from road running and track running. Trail running generally takes place on hiking trails, most commonly single track trails, although fire roads are not uncommon. A distinguishing characteristic of the trails is that they are often...
: it passes through roads, cobblestone walkways, grassy areas and bridges.
First held in 1996, the competition continued annually through its fourth running in 1999. The 1999 NATO bombing of Yugoslavia
1999 NATO bombing of Yugoslavia
The NATO bombing of Yugoslavia was NATO's military operation against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia during the Kosovo War. The strikes lasted from March 24, 1999 to June 10, 1999...
did not prevent the race from taking place that year, even though three months of bombardment had damaged power plants, water supplies, and industrial and residential areas throughout the city. The date was changed to October and it was the first major international sporting event to be held in Belgrade following the Kosovo War
Kosovo War
The term Kosovo War or Kosovo conflict was two sequential, and at times parallel, armed conflicts in Kosovo province, then part of FR Yugoslav Republic of Serbia; from early 1998 to 1999, there was an armed conflict initiated by the ethnic Albanian "Kosovo Liberation Army" , who sought independence...
. At that point it went through a ten-year hiatus, due to funding problems, but the event was revived in 2009. The competition shares an organisation committee with the Belgrade Marathon
Belgrade Marathon
The Belgrade Marathon is a marathon race held annually in Belgrade since 1988. It is typically held in mid-April and also features half marathon and fun run for the public.-Background:...
and the two events have often been held in proximity to each other.
The course, which follows a switchback-style
Hairpin turn
A hairpin turn , named for its resemblance to a hairpin/bobby pin, is a bend in a road with a very acute inner angle, making it necessary for an oncoming vehicle to turn almost 180° to continue on the road. Such turns in ramps and trails may be called switchbacks in American English, by analogy...
path, does not allow for a large number of runners and throughout its history no more than thirty athletes have taken part in each competition. As a result, the competitors tend to be some of the best professional long distance runners. Paul Tergat
Paul Tergat
Paul Kibii Tergat is a Kenyan professional long distance runner. He held the world record in the marathon from 2003 to 2007, with a time of 2:04:55, and is regarded as one of the most accomplished long-distance runners of all time.Now concentrating exclusively on the marathon, Tergat won many...
, the former Marathon world record holder and two-time Olympic silver medallist, competed at all four races in the 1990s and was the guest of honour at the reopening in 2009. Boniface Kirui won the race's comeback event in 17 minutes and 15 seconds, with second-placed Joseph Kiptoo Birech finishing with the same time. Josphat Menjo set a course record to win the following year in a race where three others dipped under the previous best mark.
Past winners
Key:| Edition | Year | Winner | Time (m Minute A minute is a unit of measurement of time or of angle. The minute is a unit of time equal to 1/60th of an hour or 60 seconds. In the UTC time scale, a minute on rare occasions has 59 or 61 seconds; see leap second. The minute is not an SI unit; however, it is accepted for use with SI units... :s Second The second is a unit of measurement of time, and is the International System of Units base unit of time. It may be measured using a clock.... ) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 1996 | 16:58 | |
| 2nd | 1997 | 17:20 | |
| 3rd | 1998 1998 in athletics (track and field) This page shows the main events during the 1998 year in athletics throughout the world.-Championships:* African Championships* Asian Championships* Asian Games* Balkan Games* Central American and Caribbean Games* Commonwealth Games... |
17:02 | |
| 4th | 1999 1999 in athletics (track and field) This page shows the main events during the 1999 year in athletics throughout the world.-International Events:* All-Africa Games* Balkan Games* Central American and Caribbean Championships* Pan American Games* Pan Arab Games... |
17:08 | |
| 5th | 2009 2009 in athletics (track and field) This page contains an overview of the year 2009 in athletics.The major competition of the year was the 2009 World Championships in Athletics. At the event, Usain Bolt reaffirmed himself as one of the world's foremost athletes with world records in the 100 and 200 metres... |
17:15 | |
| 6th | 2010 2010 in athletics (track and field) In 2010 there was no obvious, primary athletics championship, as neither the Summer Olympics nor the World Championships in Athletics occurred in the year... |
16:53 |