16. PKO Poznań Marathon Course run and admire the city!

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1 16. PKO Poznań Marathon Course run and admire the city! On 11 October this year you'll stand with thousands of runners from Poland and abroad at the start line of the 16. PKO Poznań Marathon. Before you get to the finish, you'll pass by lots of picturesque places that the capital of Greater Poland is famous for. Today we'd like to give you a foretaste of what you'll see during the race. Read the below guide and prepare yourself for a great visual experience ahead of you. Poznań International Fair the heart of the marathon The run starts at Grunwaldzka Street just by the Poznań International Fair. At this very place on 28 May 1921 Poznański Targ (Poznań Fair) has been opened for the very first time and continues to prosper by today, writing almost a hundred years old history of crafts trade in Poznań. Within just eight years, the Poznań Fair has extended rapidly getting a very high rank amongst other international fairs. Not many people remember the fact, that before the brake out of the Second World War, the Poznań Fair was classified as the fourth biggest fair in Europe after Leipzig, Lyon and Milan Fairs. Alike then, nowadays the Poznań International Fair attracts hundreds of thousands of exhibitors from all over the world who want to present their accomplishment in business world every single year.

2 On 11 October it will be your chance to present your skills there in front of the broad audience. You'll prove your great physical form and unconquerable ambition that shall take you to the end of this long distance marathon route. At this historical location a kind of the marathon village will be established between 9-11 October. On 9 and 10 October you'll may collect your start package from there, familiarize yourself with all the information on the marathon and visit exhibition stands with latest sports gear and supplements available in the market. On Saturday (10 October) you'll have a chance to chat with fellow marathoners over the meal served at the Pasta Party. The following morning, when you'll be back there, you'll see everything set ready so you can conquer this big running challenge you had been preparing for months.

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4 Papal Cross significant attraction for the tourists and the locals On the 9th kilometer of the route, you'll get to the Jana Pawła II Park. Opposite the park, on Ojca Żelazka Street, to your left, you'll notice a large-sized cross commemorating the mass run at this very place by the Pope John Paul the Second in The cross stands at the same spot as the papal altar stood on that day, in front of which the biggest number of people gathered in history of the City of Poznań. The Papal Cross still plays a very important role in religious life of the Poznań citizens. Malta exceptional sports and recreation landscape Even though there are many parks and water spots through out the city that attract crowds every single day (no matter the season), there is this one landscape truly beloved by the locals and the tourists who look for a place to hide from the city noise and relax in the bosom of nature Malta Lake. You'll get there on the 24th kilometer of the run. This 64 ha water spot is a real pearl on the map of Poznań. It is an artificial lake made in 1952 with water coming from Cybina River, where the regatta course and the baths have been created a few years later. Not many cities may pride themselves on such a peaceful and beautiful area with lake in the center of the city. Thanks to its convenient location, anyone may get there fairly quickly and walk round the lake, practice sport, do the picnic and have a bath in summer. The Malta Regatta Course also hosts many prestigious international sport events, such as World Cup in Canoeing and European Championships in Sailing.

5 Malta as this area is called by the locals shall be a sentimental spot on the marathon route for regular Poznań Marathon contestants, because it is a birth home to the Poznań Marathon. During the first editions, Malta used to be a beating heart of this event with start and finish located right there. Today just the Poznań Half Marathon is organized there, so it should be a nice visit for the marathoners, who shall cherish the view of Malta Lake once again. Ostrów Tumski country of Poland was founded there It's not the end of time travel to the past. The 16. PKO Poznań Marathon takes you to Ostrów Tumski, where (it's believed) the country of Poland was founded. Mieszko I, Poland's progenitor, had built a settlement round there, which has extended with time to the size of the country. The Cathedral standing there today symbolizes this chapter of Polish history, and the Brama Poznania Museum shows its history in a very innovative and interesting way. We recommend you visiting the museum after the marathon, if only you have some spare time on your hands.

6 Sołacz After crossing the Warta River, you'll run towards a green corner of Poznań Sołacki Park. Rustle of the trees and a quiet aura of this amazing park should energize you, as you'll probably be quite exhausted by then. Hopefully you'll rest a bit looking at this spectacular landscape arranged in English style with 3 thousand trees and 12 thousand various bushes. It's home to lots of different birds too. There are a few wooden bridges, stylized twentieth century light posts, a waterfall, old benches and narrow walk paths in the park, which make all together such a romantic atmosphere in there, that the park is visited by numerous couples looking for romantic hideaway. On 11 October the park will test your ability to push the borders of fatigue, but once you do it, you'll be rewarded with amazing experience of visiting the building the whole world was talking about in 2012.

7 INEA Stadium home to the new Football Champion of Poland At final kilometers of your challenge, you'll visit the INEA Stadium, where three matches were played during the UEFA Euro Today it's home to the new Football Champion of Poland KKS Lech. Once again the football pitch will welcome sportsmen from Poland and abroad, but this time they will run with you across it not after a foot ball but to fight for the marathon medal, which will remind you of this day for the rest of your life. Alike during the football match, crowds in the stands will support you as much as they can and shall empower you to get to the finish line at Plac Marka at the Poznań International Fair.

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