Record Attendance at 69th National Devin-Bratislava Run on Sunday

Record Attendance at 69th National Devin-Bratislava Run on Sunday

Bratislava, April 7 (TASR) – A record number of runners is expected on Sunday at the 69th National Devin-Bratislava Run, which is Slovakia’s oldest athletic event, said Bratislava deputy mayor Iveta Plsekova at a press briefing on Thursday.

“While there were 37 people on the starting line in 1921, last year saw more than 6,200 participants, and now we’ve already registered 6,300 runners, with the last two days still remaining for further applicants,” said Plsekova.

“We’ll see excellent athletes, hobby runners, children and fun runners. This goes with the territory, however, as running isn’t only about high performance and victories, but also about atmosphere and lifestyle,” said Plsekova.

The event took place for the first time in 1921 in order to commemorate a climb up to Devin Castle by a group of national revivalists around Ludovit Stur. “We’re commemorating the 180th anniversary of this climb this year,” said Plsekova.

The race, which returned in 1971 after a gap of 27 years, will start below Devin Castle, with the finishing line and official presentations to the top three men and women in 11 categories all scheduled to take place in the centre of Bratislava.

One special feature is that no record times are recorded because the route has changed several times over the decades. There will only be a split time measured at the end of the eleventh kilometre.