As Glas Slavonije writes, the Vukovar Athletic Club is organising a race up the stairs of the Vukovar Water Tower called Vukovarskih 198 (The Vukovar 198).
The name of the race is due to the fact that the Water Tower has 198 steps, and each competitor will also run 200 meters of the memorial path, which means that the finish line of the race will be at the top of the famous structure in Vukovar. Daniel Lovrinović, the secretary of the Vukovar Athletic Club, who runs recreationally, is the initiator of this specific race.
“Every morning I get up at five o’clock and go for a run before work, because I consider it mental hygiene. As I’ve regularly passed by the Water Tower, even while it was being renovated, I thought it would be interesting to organize a race in it. I have participated several times in the “Zagrepčanka” race in Zagreb, and running up the stairs fascinates me. As far as I know, no race has been organised in a monument such as the Water Tower, and I believed that it would attract a large number of participants”, Lovrinović told us, explaining that it is not only important to organise the race for its own sake, but also to promote the Vukovar Athletic Club, which started working actively with children this year, and will soon have activities for recreational athletes.
The organiser’s wish is that Vukovar benefits from the race, because those who come from outside the city will stay for a day, two or three, which means that they will sleep in Vukovar, maybe try some local specialties, visit museums or other interesting locations. Ultimately, it will help the promotion of the city on the Danube. All those interested can apply online until August 31, and Lovrinović pointed out that more than 150 participants have registered so far out of 240, which is the maximum number.
“We cannot accommodate more runners because the Water Tower is open and we managed to reserve it for the race on September 17 from 8 am to 1 pm. We want the race to become traditional. So far, we’ve had applications from many Croatian cities, literally from Vukovar to Dubrovnik, but also from abroad – France, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Germany. The principle of the race itself is quite simple. The second runner will follow 60 seconds after the first, and when the eighth competitor reaches the top of the Water Tower near the flag, we will take a minute or two break, until the first seven reach the elevator that will take them down. When they reach the elevator, the next runner will start and so on until everyone has completed the planned course”, he explained.
This is the minimum start time difference between participants because the staircase is narrow and it is not possible to get around the runners in front who may need more time to reach the top.
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