From the Baltic Sea to the Tatra Mountains – all of Poland participated in the Polish Post run
As many as 500 Polish towns and cities—from the Baltic Sea to the Tatra Mountains—over 1,400 participants, nearly 12,000 kilometers covered, and 192,000 kilobytes of data uploaded! These are the numbers from the Polish Post Virtual Run, which took place last week to celebrate the 462nd anniversary of the founding of Poczta Polska and the 500th birthday of the company's founder, King Sigismund II Augustus. The event was supported by renowned athletes, local government officials, politicians, foundations, and even nearly 50 students from the Polish Naval Academy.
The first-ever edition of the Polish Post Virtual Run is behind us. Although the race was held virtually – a safe option in these uncertain times – there was no shortage of genuine excitement, and almost everyone who registered for the race reached the finish line of the virtual competition!
From the moment registration opened for the Polish Post Virtual Run, it was clear that Poles enjoy a challenge. Although there were several different distances to choose from: 2 km, 5 km, and 10 km, over half of those registered opted to compete for the so-called Triad medal , for completing 2 km, 5 km, and 10 km over three days. The Triad distance proved most popular with runners. 523 runners took on this challenging challenge, covering a total of 8,891 km! That's roughly the distance from Poland to Japan or the Bahamas.
The first participants of the event set off on their routes on October 10, and although the weather was not very pleasant and did not inspire optimism over the following days, most of the participants managed to "cross the finish line" and achieve excellent results.
The Polish Post's Virtual Run attracted crowds of people of good will who eagerly supported the event and joined in helping young athletes from small towns. A total of 1,407 people participated in this great cause of helping through running, and those who crossed the finish line of the first virtual sporting event in the history of the Polish Post ran a total of 11,231 km.
"We are delighted that so many runners responded to our invitation to join us, albeit as safely as possible due to the circumstances, in celebrating the 462nd anniversary of the founding of the Polish Post Office and the 500th birthday of our founder, King Sigismund II Augustus. It's also a personal joy for me, as I've been running for many years and highly recommend this form of activity. The Polish Post Virtual Run is also a socially engaging project, combining a passion for sport and competition with the idea of helping those in need, which is the main mission of our "Postal Gift" Foundation," says Tomasz Zdzikot, President of the Management Board of Poczta Polska.
The funds that will ultimately be donated to the "Pocztowy Dar" Foundation are currently being counted. For every starter kit purchased, 5 złoty will be transferred to the organization's account. The funds raised will help promote a healthy lifestyle and sports activities among young people from small towns and support children's athletic talent by funding sports scholarships, providing trips to tournaments, and purchasing sports equipment.