Almost three times heavier and twice as large and thick as traditional medals at major running events. This is what the medal for finishing this year’s PKO Gdynia Half Marathon will be like. It will feature, among other things, the “floating” Dar Pomorza and engravings linked to the city’s centennial anniversary.
The PKO Gdynia Half Marathon is scheduled for 25 April this year. The race will be part of the celebrations of Gdynia’s centennial, and almost 5,500 runners are already on the start list. That is more than half of the available spots, as the participant limit is 10,000 people.
Those who have been unsure about taking part so far now have an extra reason to add the PKO Gdynia Half Marathon to their race calendar this season. The finisher medal will be truly spectacular.
There are medals you remember for years, maybe even for your whole life. I think this is one of them. A race for the city’s centennial, and also held as the PZLA Polish Championships, really means something. And our medal also “has its weight”.
Maciej Stroiński, press spokesperson for the PKO Gdynia Half Marathon
That weight is exactly 300 grams. With the average medal weight at Polish races usually around 100–130 grams, it makes a real impression. The medal’s diameter is 10 centimeters, which is about 30–40% more than most running “discs”. Its solid feel is also boosted by its thickness of 9 millimeters. On the edges, the inscription “Miasto z morza i marzeń” and the dates 1926–2026 are engraved, referring to Gdynia’s 100th “birthday”.
The central element of the medal is one of Gdynia’s symbols, the Dar Pomorza sailing ship, placed between special clear panels together with a liquid that represents the waters of the Baltic Sea. Besides that, the medal features outlines of Gdynia’s most iconic buildings and monuments. Of course, it also includes the PKO Gdynia Half Marathon logo and the official centennial mark of the city.
Gdynia is a symbol of fast growth, modern Poland, and a remarkable success story. We want our medal, on the one hand, to honor the city’s centennial, and on the other, to show our respect and appreciation for every small success achieved by those who cross the finish line of the PKO Gdynia Half Marathon on the Gdynia beach. Because the finish line is the final point of all the effort put into training and racing. Let this medal hang proudly in our finishers’ homes and remind them of the journey they made to earn it.
Maciej Stroiński, press spokesperson for the PKO Gdynia Half Marathon
To make the memories from the race even more personal, the medal ribbon will include a small plate. This is a place to engrave your first and last name and the time in which you completed the half marathon distance.
Beyond the city’s 100th anniversary, the event will also gain prestige from its status as the Polish Championships. The Polish Athletic Association (PZLA) will award medals in Gdynia not only to the fastest professionals, but for the first time in history also to the best amateur runners in each age category. All of this will take place in an evening setting, with the finish line located in the middle of the City Beach in Gdynia.
The side events of the PKO Gdynia Half Marathon 2026 will include half marathon relay races, the Gdynia Kids Run for the youngest runners, and PKO Gdynia 5K a 5-kilometer race, also finishing on the beach. All competitions are scheduled for Saturday, 25 April.
The title sponsor of the event is PKO Bank Polski, and the strategic partner is the City of Gdynia. The race is organized by the Sport Evolution agency.
