Nowadays, with an increasing awareness of healthy nutrition and the importance of sports for a healthy and better quality of life, the number of people who often or only occasionally engage in any form of physical activity is increasing. In addition to walking, the most basic and simple is running. Running is not only an active form of leisure time for the body and mind, it is something more. It can be or become a way of life.
This resulted in an increase in running events in recent years (not counting the Covid-19 pandemic), but this does not mean the classic city marathons, which already take place in practically every major and small urban city and for which relatively expensive entry fees are usually required.
In this article, I want to shed light on the less attended running events, which are not just classic races with crowds of people, longer queues for lifting the starting package, more expensive start-up fees and sometimes higher travel costs. I am talking about smaller sporting events with less publicity, which can be called "local runs". You can find many of these throughout Slovenia.
I see such events as a perfect combination of physical and spiritual activity, enjoying good company and, last but not least, travelling! How I came to a deeper understanding and experience of running and why I describe it as a form of travel, I will tell you in the next subchapter.
In my grammar school years, in addition to playing handball, I put a lot of hope and energy into education. I started looking for a variety of ways to be more productive and successful in the eternal learning process and playing handball. Unfortunately, the day could not have more than 24 hours, and there were no more hours available for me to spend behind the notebooks or on the playground. However, there was some time, usually at the end of the day, when I thought about running. It is known that a person is more susceptible and optimal to learning after a sports activity, as a result of which the brain receives more oxygen due to increased blood flow, etc. There are thousands of articles on the internet about the effects of running on the brain, body and health. In a way, running can be understood as a "rest" that recharges the batteries.
What was initially thought of as something that would improve form in team sport and contribute to my learning success, has also opened a whole new door for me. I attended smaller running events that I searched for online. So, with the support of my parents of course, I visited all sorts of small places in Slovenia that I had heard of for the first time. And being a traveller, an explorer, and a curious person, I caught two birds with one stone! At the same time, I was able to travel and attend running events.
If I look from a runner's point of view: I started using a new (primal) form of traversing between points on my itinerary (at least in the target area), and I included them in the overall experience with the run.
What made me very happy and gave me motivation to continue was meeting new running friends. In most cases, it was with people outside my age group, but still with more friendly and sociable people than anyone could have imagined.
Sometimes we started talking in the middle of the run. Of course, it's harder to talk then, especially when you start after the gun goes off or, for example, at 8 km, when you're hoping to just "fall" into the finish line as soon as possible. From this comes mutual support and encouragement in the final agonising kilometres, metres and seconds, especially when you're running for the first time or trying to improve your results. Before you know it, you've already arranged your next "running weekend" with that person or people.
Smaller runs like this, which are not big events in terms of numbers of visitors, give a sense of authenticity. The routes usually pass by natural and cultural sites that you encounter on the way to your destination. Everyone has their own way of travelling, so why shouldn't running be one of the different ways of discovering places? Of course, at the heart of it all is the hospitality of the organisers, the participants and, of course, the locals who are happy to cheer on the runners, sometimes from the windows and balconies of their houses. Even at the finish line, when there is a lunch, socialising, awards ceremony, etc., every runner can be exposed to so-called non-commercial hospitality - from friendliness, smiles, genuine care for the runners to the size of a meal.
In the next part of the article, I highlight local Slovenian running events that are not as widely recognised as major city runs and marathons. Most of them are limited to Eastern Slovenia. The examples described are selected based on personal experience and preferences, which may vary from person to person. At the end, I mention those that are also interesting and worth mentioning.
A small run within the municipality of Selnica ob Dravi, starting at the small chapel of Fras among the orchards (the name of the event says it all), is organised in such a way that it has routes adapted for different age groups of children and two longer ones, classic 5 and 10 km runs. If the weather is sunny, a run can be a surprise and turn into a wonderful get-together with a good and more than well-deserved lunch along with some apple strudel.
The run, which takes place in Šmarje pri Jelšah up and down the picturesque hills, has, in addition to the Šmarje children's runs and the run for teenagers (3 km "RekreAZA +"), Jagrov run (11.5 km) and Krpan's ascent (800 m). There are many attractions in the town, from the Baroque museum to the Jelšingrad mansion and Calvary with the church of St. Roch - one of the Seven Wonders of Slovenia). You can also climb to the latter during Krpan's ascent.
The run, which takes place in the municipality of Hoče - Slivnica every year since 2017, attracts runners from wider parts of Slovenia. Various routes are available, which are also suitable for the youngest attendants and longer routes of 6.5km and the classic of 10km. The longest one takes runners from the multi-purpose sports hall along a cycling and walking path and through the plane tree avenue in Slivnica, where Slivnica Castle can be seen from afar, to the panoramic hills above the hamlet of Čreta. In between, the vineyards are crossed and then the forest part of the route starts, from where the path leads to the finish line at the sports hall.
A very well-organised running event takes place along Lake Blaguška in the municipality of Sveti Jurij ob Ščavnici, the place where the famous Slovenian politician from historical textbooks, Anton Korošec, was born. The start and finish are at the embankment of an artificial lake, where the new Forest Glamping resort Blaguš has been built in recent years.
The 2023 event attracted around 200 runners and many visitors, including Slovenia's top para-athlete, tennis player Marino Kegl, selected as Deaf Athlete of the Year in 2022.
Despite the seven events until 2023, this traditional run is also attracting an increasing number of recreational and professional runners. The event takes place in the municipality of Markovci, with a start and finish in the arranged sports park of the village of Bukovci (located near the landscape park Šturmovci). A special feature of this is the 21 km half marathon track, for those who want a more strenuous run. The first few times, running here was also free of charge.
The traditional forest run and the Jože Tisnikar Memorial, which is carried out by the Mislinja SMUK club, has already been organised 42 times, including in 2023. The June run in Mislinja under the slopes of Pohorje is a wonderful activity, as the route takes runners to the forested valley beneath Pohorje, with a pleasant atmosphere in the shelter of trees. The start and finish of the 5 km and 10.6 km runs is near the ski jump on the sports field. In addition to the municipal championship, the fastest runners on the longest route in the last year also received an award in the form of an artwork by Stanislava Lušnic Arsovska.
In 2022, in its 40th edition, the King Matjaž Marathon started and finished in the sports park in Pristava in Črna na Koroškem, an event for children, family runners and those who compete in 10 km and 21 km. The run is dedicated to Miran Čas, the founder of the marathon in Črna na Koroškem. The absolute winners of the 21 km small marathon also receive cash prizes. This is also a chance to get to know Črna na Koroškem better.
The new sports park is also the starting point of the Olympic Trail with seven points, which is dedicated to seven local Montenegrin Olympians and their respective sports: Drago and Danilo Pudgar, Katjuša Pušnik, Mitja Kunc, Nataša Lačen, Aleš Gorza and Tina Maze.
The run up Mount Oljka (Zoran Štok Memorial, Zoran's Cup), organised by the Polzela Mountaineering Association for the 19th time until 2023, is a 7.4 km climb up the 733 m high
Probably the most interesting point is at the finish, the Baroque pilgrimage Church of the Holy Cross (built in 1757), which is visible far and wide.
Other running events that are also interesting and therefore worth mentioning are: Boris Keršbaumer's Run (Mežica), Bistrica Run (Slovenska Bistrica), Zagorje Valley Run and Hike (Zagorje ob Savi), Evening Run across Ptuj Castle, Peace Run (Slovenj Gradec), etc.
Most, if not all, of these runs are individual races of the Styria and Carinthia regions Running Cup, which is organised annually by TD ŠIK. Applications for almost all of the aforementioned runs and others major running and other sports events, including abroad, are available on the Protime website, which performs professional electronic measurement of results.
Let me end on this note. Many people have asked me so far: “Do you really pay to be able to run?!” In response to this question, in my opinion, the entry fee for these local runs is the least you can give in exchange for a running travel experience. On the other hand, it helps the organisers to organise and develop the event, which has other direct and indirect effects on the place, region, etc. And one last thing - It's not about winning, it's about socialising and a journey that takes longer than the one from start to finish.
To all you travellers who might be interested in getting into this version of sports tourism, I hope I may have given you a bit of drive and encouragement, and I hope to see you on a great run sometimes!
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