On August 28, the fifth consecutive half marathon was held in Subotica. For this occasion, the organizers made a great effort to organize and welcome all the participants.
Races were held at 21km, 10km, and 5km.
City of Subotica
Since I have never visited Subotica, I wanted to combine both beautiful and useful. I decided on a 10km race to test my speed for that distance for the first time. A half-marathon would be too much, considering that the race in Sarajevo is coming up.
The day before the half marathon, we visited Subotica and Lake Palic. Subotica has a lot to offer, from sightseeing to enjoying the parks. I have to admit that my first visit to the synagogue blew me away. It was the only place that managed to calm me down mentally.
On the evening before the race, we collected the participant packages. We were surprised by the strange yellow color of the t-shirt for the 10 km race. Despite that, the shirt design was quite interesting. The organizer also organized a pasta party and a live concert.
After returning to the accommodation, it was necessary to rest well before tomorrow’s race. Even though it was my first street race, I expected my fast pace.
Day of the race
Despite my plans, Sunday morning started quite intense and unplanned. You can plan whatever you want, but it can change in an instant. After sleeping for barely 4 hours (on a bed like a rock), I knew that I would have to go beyond my limit in order to finish the race at least approximately as I planned.
After all the knowledge, I tried to get some solitude and relax so that my day could pass as smoothly as possible. I did not expect that the race would be organized so well that it brightened up the rest of my day!
The competition center was in the town square. For the number of runners (about 1,300) who participated in the Subotica half marathon, the start was well organized. It was even commendable that refreshments were available before the race.
It was a sunny day and warm in the morning, so we had to find shade somewhere in the open square. One of the first things we noticed when we arrived was the city fountain. It seemed like a great solution for cooling down after the race!
The coaches from BRC organized a group warm-up before the start. I did some exercises alone, but I focused more on breathing and walking around. I decided to stop at the beginning as far forward as possible so as not to start slowly.
Before the start, a warm-up with music was organized for all race participants, with instructors from Ncentar Subotica. Ten minutes flew by so quickly that only at one point did I hear the countdown to the start of the race. I remember just moving toward the front to get to the front rows before the beginning. I got to the halfway point, and there were already a lot of people there.
Race start
When the race started, it was impossible to run. At the same time, it seemed that time was passing quickly and that I would lose minutes. In the first 200 meters after the starting line, I could accelerate normally. I had to be careful of people who suddenly jumped out in front of me. That’s when I wisely decided to go to the right by the fence so that I could run normal.
After 500 meters, the mass broke up, and when I looked at the clock, I saw that I was going at a very fast pace (5:30). The mass and thoughts definitely pulled me, so I rushed. As I was not able to control my pace, I continued at that pace until 3 km. From the current situation, I understand that due to nervousness and lack of sleep, I was not able to control my running at the beginning. After 3 km, I felt slight fatigue in my hands, so I decided to slow down.
Refreshment stations
It was fantastic that the organizer placed music stations in several places that were pleasant during the run. In addition, there were refreshments in the form of water and fruit in many areas. My focus was only on the volunteers and the outstretched hand with the bottle of water. The volunteers did a great job.
Fans and photographers were at several locations cheering on the runners with excitement. Despite all that, halfway through the course, I thought that I lacked certain support and that it would be much easier for me mentally.
It was hotter than expected, especially in the part where we ran in the park.
Before the 8 km start, we entered Dudovo forest on a trim track. I reacted quite badly to the change of surface, so I had to slow down my pace deliberately. In addition to my situation, it was still nice to run through the woods and greenery.
Near the end, at 9 km, I feel a big crisis because of the fast start. If a woman from my club hadn’t helped me overcome that crisis (mainly mental), I’m afraid I would have run that last part very slowly.
There were light water showers during the race. It is great that there were small bottles of Voda Voda for refreshments because you could also drink water with that. The mistake I made was that I overestimated myself and decided not to bring a backpack with water. I didn’t have enough to hydrate constantly. Because of this, 400m before the end of the race, I felt a huge rush of thirst. Luckily, there was also refreshment towards the end of the race. The organizer really thought it through and nicely set up the refreshment stations, which are an important factor at the races.
Race finish
When you enter the last 200 meters to the finish, you suddenly get a huge burst of energy. Special praise goes to the photographer who took pictures of people running to the finish line. He didn’t just stand and take photos; he also followed the runners to capture the best possible image.
The organizer made sure that the runners had different types of refreshments at their disposal after the finish line. The best thing there was the ice.
After entering the finish line and finishing the course perfectly, it was a pleasure to cool off by going through the fountain. The organization of the Subotica half marathon race did not lack anything, and it made our stay in Subotica even better.
