PKO Gdynia Half Marathon 2024 [REPORT]

The PKO Gdynia Half Marathon gathered nearly 5,000 running enthusiasts at the starting line. The fastest were Aleksandra Jakubiec and Krzysztof Gosiewski.

I’ve never had the chance to race in such conditions. The spectators were incredible, cheering almost along the entire route. Krzysztof Gosiewski, winner of the PKO Gdynia Half Marathon 2024

With these words, Krzysztof Gosiewski summarized his experience at the PKO Gdynia Half Marathon. On Saturday evening, he took the lead shortly after the start and decided to run solo, never looking back. This strategy ultimately secured him the victory with a time of 1:06:39. Grzegorz Kujawski finished second, trailing Gosiewski by just over two minutes, while Justinas Cekanauskas from Lithuania rounded out the men’s podium.

Among the women, Aleksandra Jakubiec triumphed, finishing with a time of 1:23:46 and setting a new personal best.

I am very pleased. The race went wonderfully, and the weather was perfect. I also like this type of course, with a bit of uphill and downhill.
Aleksandra Jakubiec, winner of the PKO Gdynia Half Marathon 2024

Natalia Krupińska finished just 14 seconds behind the winner, taking second place, while Marta Kalinowska-Biegała rounded out the podium in third.

In the parallel PKO Gdynia 5K, a 5 km race, the fastest runners were Szymon Gumkowski and Yuliia Veremchuk (Ukraine).

RESULTS

At the starting line of the PKO Gdynia Half Marathon and its accompanying races, nearly 5,000 participants gathered, with over 4,000 completing the 21.1 km distance. This marked a very successful return of the Gdynia event to the national running calendar, as noted by its director, Michał Drelich, before the start of the race.

This is a great start for us after the break, but our ambitions are even higher. By the 100th anniversary of Gdynia in two years, I’d like to see over 10,000 people running in the half marathon. Michał Drelich, Sport Evolution

The event’s title sponsor is PKO Bank Polski, which, through the “PKO Biegajmy Razem” program, joined forces with PKO Gdynia Half Marathon participants to support the treatment of 15-year-old Eryk, who suffers from cerebral palsy. Before the start, Eryk wished all half marathon runners good luck and later volunteered by handing out medals at the finish line.

The PKO Gdynia Half Marathon was held for the first time as an evening event, with a start time of 8:30 PM, allowing most runners to finish after dark. Along the race course, participants could enjoy fire shows, hear sea shanties, and meet Gdynia’s cheerleaders. At the finish line, runners were greeted by the enthusiastic cheers of the announcer, colorful lights, and music that provided an extra boost for the final meters.

The next edition of the PKO Gdynia Half Marathon will take place on the weekend of April 25-27, 2025.