This year’s PKO Gdynia Half Marathon is a special race. Never before have so many runners taken part in it, and it is also one of the sporting elements of the city’s 100th anniversary celebrations. That is why the organizers and event partners are preparing plenty of attractions for spectators.
As early as Friday, 24 April, the event village will be set up at Kościuszki Square, including the Fit Living Expo zone, where visitors will find stands from many different companies connected with running and a healthy lifestyle. In addition to the official PKO Gdynia Half Marathon store, visitors will also find, among others, a Sportano stand with accessories for runners. Nearby, there will also be an inflatable climbing wall.
Another event partner, the Suunto brand, is also planning its own stand with sports watches. The City of Gdynia is preparing a separate point as well, where visitors will be able to find special materials created for Gdynia’s centenary.
A lot will be happening in the PKO BP zone. The bank is focusing on active attractions: a blender bike and treadmill, a mini crossfit zone, a fit point, as well as movement and art activities for children. The zone will be open on Saturday from 10:00 to 20:30. Lubella, the pasta producer, is preparing a huge plate with a giant fork. Anyone who steps inside and takes a photo will receive a pack of pasta.
In the Lubella zone, visitors will also be able to collect shoelaces with a running and pasta theme, personalize drawstring backpacks, and even enjoy free pasta to load up on carbohydrates before the start and recover after the race.
A Women’s Zone will also be set up at Kościuszki Square, a special space dedicated to female runners who need more privacy. It will include toilets for women, changing rooms with personal hygiene products, and mirrors. There will also be a space for breastfeeding mothers, located away from unwanted attention.
Cheering zones
The most important moment of the weekend will be the half marathon race, with the start scheduled for 20:30 on Saturday, 25 April. Special cheering points prepared by the organizers and partners of the PKO Gdynia Half Marathon will be located along the entire route. As many as two zones have been planned by the title sponsor of the race, PKO BP Bank. In one of them, a drum band will keep up the runners’ rhythm. In the other, a steam launcher will create a mysterious atmosphere. Lubella is also planning to organize two zones. In one of them, hostesses with huge megaphones will cheer on the runners together with the spectators, while in the other there will be a tower with a DJ and music.
Suunto, a manufacturer of sports watches and the sponsor of prizes for elite runners and Polish champions in individual age categories, is focusing on comfortable spectating. In their zone, visitors will be able to relax on deck chairs and cheer on those bravely competing on the course. A DJ will make the cheering even more enjoyable.
drWITT is coming to Gdynia with its Mobile Fan Zone to recharge everyone with music and cheering. A DJ will heat up the city, moving through the streets of Gdynia. The drWITT Car will first appear in the Fit Living Expo zone, bringing a solid dose of musical energy already during race pack collection. It will get the party going even before the start, and later it will appear in the cheering zones. It is worth keeping an eye out for the drWITT Car and letting yourself be carried away by the music!
Among the attractions along the course prepared by the organizers of the PKO Gdynia Half Marathon, there will be, among others, an LED show, a drum band, Gdynia cheerleaders, spectacular fire shows, and additional music points. In short, neither runners nor spectators will have a dull moment.
Kids will run at noon
It is still possible to register children for the Gdynia Kids Run races. All races are scheduled for Saturday. The youngest children at the start only need to be 2 years old. They will run a distance of 150 metres. The oldest group of young participants will compete over 1,000 metres. This race is intended for girls and boys born in 2012–2013. There are already more than 700 young running enthusiasts on the start lists!
The title sponsor of the event is PKO BP Bank, and its strategic partners are the City of Gdynia and the Pomorskie Voivodeship Self-Government. Sponsors: dr Witt, Sportano.pl. Partners: Lubella, Suunto, Browar Cieszyn, Cisowianka, Grupa Walder.
