The Sarajevo half marathon and a relay race were held on September 18. The start of the half-marathon was near Bascarsia, while the finish line was near the National Theater. About 700 people from several countries participated in the half marathon.
After five months of regular training, the day has come to run the first official half marathon in Sarajevo. Although I am aware of how much strength I have now compared to five months ago, I was nervous.
Based on my experience from previous races, I made a plan for pacing. It was important for me to have a plan because I like to set goals.
My most important goal was to keep my heart rate from going into the fifth zone. That way, I know that I will run the entire half marathon as endurance training and not experience a crisis.
In addition to this goal, a pace of 7:20 min/km would be fine for me. I ran the training length at that pace, breathed perfectly, and could talk at the same time. Those training were at 35 degrees. For this race, I had no desire to run fast, although realistically, I could go an average of 6:40 min/km. I wanted to enjoy myself, all the while running and seeing the city for the first time.
My plans were set low this time, considering that I expected more from myself.
Sarajevo City
We arrived in Sarajevo on Friday. The weather was much colder, so I knew in advance what the weather conditions would be like for running.
Saturday morning started extremely early. To my surprise, I was woken up around 5 o’clock by the sound from the nearby mosque. I always wanted to hear it live, but somehow, I managed to forget that there are Muslims in Sarajevo. The next two mornings, I woke up to that sound, so I didn’t need an alarm.
It started raining that morning and continued throughout the day. I hadn’t run since Wednesday evening, so I needed to follow another person’s advice and do a short run. I didn’t want to sit all day and not look around the city. At least the rain has never stopped me from doing what I love.
On the recommendation of the accommodation owner, I ran to the Dariva picnic area. Although it was raining, it was wonderful to run next to water, rocks, and greenery. I could only imagine how wonderful it is to walk, run, or bike here in the summer.
Later in the afternoon, I used it to see the city. Sarajevo has a lot to offer. The intertwining of different cultures, Turkish folklore, mosques—everything was interesting to see.
I fell asleep quickly on Saturday night and rested until Sunday at 6 a.m. I had no worries or stress, so I prepared for the half marathon with ease.
Now that I think about it, everything came together and turned out just right. There is a day when you have prepared as best as you can, and you know that everything will go well.
This time, I brought a backpack with water in order to hydrate myself during the entire race.
Race morning
As Saturday passed in the rain, Sunday morning was perfect for a half marathon!
I used the minutes before the start of the Sarajevo half marathon for warm-up exercises. So far, I’ve learned that I like to be at least 10 minutes alone before the start. I liked the silence very much during those moments. I arrived near the race start, literally a minute before the start of the race. One of the plans was to follow the pacer at 02:30:00. However, I noticed that from the beginning, the pace was 6min/km. I continued at my pace, which was 7 min/km, and it was easy for me at that moment.
After almost 3 km, I felt relaxed, and the pace was, on average, around 6:50 min/km. I decided then to continue following what suits me. Even though it was easy for me, I didn’t want to speed up. After all, I know that a serious length is still waiting for me. As I was alone at that moment, I must admit that I was a bit bored. My phone was in the front pocket of my backpack, so I decided to answer the messages a bit. 🙂 Someone would say that it was thoughtless or stupid, but I liked the support from my partner, and I didn’t feel tired.
Great race atmosphere
I quickly left the phone because I was walking past the music station. During the half marathon itself, several music stations were playing well-known ex-Yu songs. At the “critical” beginning of the second round, they played foreign techno music.
During the race, we ran through a small street that was in the shade. That shade gave me a slight pain in my stomach because of the sudden cold. Luckily, it went away after we ran again in the sun.
At 8 km, there was a slight uphill, which I didn’t like. I was not able to reduce the pace, and some mental crisis caught me. Somehow, I’ve managed to slow down and relax.
Pace and Girls
At the 10th kilometer, I caught up with two girls from Bosnia, with whom I continued to run until the end. I must admit that I really enjoyed their company and mutual support. It even happened that, in the end, we were faster than the pacer. I went more slowly with them in the second part, but I liked their company. Even the second uphill lap was easy for me.
One of the things that left the strongest impression on me was the support of people who did not run the half marathon. Compared to other races, here I felt the most support and positive emotions during the race. Another thing I liked was that I had a view of the surrounding hills during the race. If I got tired during the race, I would look at the hills and calm.
When you run that 20 km, and you come across the familiar sign that there is 1km left, there comes a rush of positive emotions and a little panic about whether you will last. It seems too easy, but after almost two and a half hours of running, you wonder if you can endure this. You are not aware that your legs are going on autopilot and that they will do that last kilometer as well.
I noticed that one of the girls I was running with was struggling, but we decided to run to the end, even if it was at a slower pace.
When there were 500m until the end, I decided to run faster to the finish. The finish is in the street with shade, so I estimated that the conditions for sprinting were phenomenal.
Race Finish
After about 200m, a similar scenario appeared to me, as in Kopaonik. I felt that the closer I got to the finish arena, the further away it got. I was slightly nauseous because I was racing with the person next to me, and I didn’t want to let him overtake me. However, in the end, I had to allow myself to rush out a little.
Upon reaching the finish line, the nausea disappeared, and there was relief. Somehow, it seemed to me that everything passed too quickly, and I had no stress during the race itself. At that moment, I was happy that I had done a good half marathon. After that, I moved to the side to do some stretching. I didn’t have any pain in my muscles, which surprised me.
As I had a problem with the rush of adrenaline after the race, after returning to the hotel, I had to go on a tour of the city. Although it seemed crazy to some, I had to focus my energy somewhere, and sleep was out of the question.
Impressions about my first half marathon in Sarajevo
I am happy that I finished the half marathon in Sarajevo at a faster pace than I planned. I am delighted that I had the support of a dear person from afar. ❤️ I am happy that I met and had great company during the second part of the race. I am so glad that the weather conditions were fantastic. I am thrilled that my body allowed me to run during the entire race. I am glad that along the way, we received great support from people who had not participated in the half marathon. I am happy that I never doubted myself whether I would be able to run a half marathon.
