Instructions and basic information for the 19th year of the ČSOB Bratislava Marathon
Main organizer: BE COOL, s.r.o. in cooperation with Bratislavský maratón, o.z.
Co-organizers: Capital of Slovakia - Bratislava
Supported by: Bratislava city districts – Staré Mesto (Old town), Petržalka and Ružinov, Region of Bratislava
Place of the event: Bratislava, Slovakia
Disciplines:
RACE DAY – 07.04.2024
- Marathon (42,195 km) – 09:00 h.
- Half marathon (21,098 km) – 09:00 h.
- Relay marathon (42,195 km) – 09:00 h.
- Relay half marathon (21,098 km) – 09:00 h.
HOBBY DAY – 06.04.2023
- 10 km – 16:00 h.
- Minimarathon (4,2 km) – 14:00 h.
- Senior run & walk (4,2km) – 14:00 h.
- Kid´s runs, Bratislava´s mile (300 m – 1 600 m) – 10:00 h.
- Toddlers race (5 m) – 09:30 h.
Main officials:
Event director and main organizer: Jozef Pukalovič (jozo@becool.sk)
Executive director of the event: Peter Pukalovič (peto@becool.sk)
Sports director (elite athletes): Tomáš Willwéber (tomas@becool.sk)
Sports coordinators: Dag Bělák (dag@becool.sk)
Oliver Libič (oliver@becool.sk),
Tomáš Molnár (molnar@becool.sk)
Security manager: Peter France
Leading judge: Branislav Droščák
Assistant referee: Renata Poľanská, Dušan Štancel
Expert consultant: Ján Koštial
Chief physician of the event: Jaroslav Sabol
Timing, results service: Dušan Richter, Norbert Švec (vos@vos-tpk.sk)
Registration: Zuzana Kubová, Radka Suchá (registracia@becool.sk)
Marathon and half-marathon track:
The urban circuit (city districts of Staré Mesto, Ružinov and Petržalka) on a track with a solid surface (asphalt, concrete, pavement), without significant elevations. Marathoners complete two circuits. The track has a valid AIMS international certificate.
To warm up and run before the start on Saturday (06.04.2024) and Sunday (07.04.2024), use the promenade on the embankment in Eurovea.
Registration for the event and the time of presentation (taking over the start packages) for the event are specified for each discipline separately. Please pay sufficient attention to a thorough study of the instructions in your chosen discipline.
Collective pick-up of start packages (10 and more) will be possible at Eurovea Bratislava (the exact time will be announced later). If you are interested in picking up 10 or more start packs, send a list of runners to registracia@becool.sk by 27 March 2024 (conditions may still be specified).
Before you arrive at the presentation, make sure that your name is on the start list. If not, contact registracia@becool.sk and when picking up the start package (presentation), you will also prove yourself by the "Payment confirmation of the order from Predpredaj", which you will receive by e-mail after the payment.
For the relay team, one member of the relay is sufficient to come to present the team. It is not necessary to present the participants of the toddler race, it is sufficient if you come to the start on Saturday morning with the registered child.
Start restrictions:
On Sunday April 7th, 2024, the runner can start only in one of the disciplines (marathon, half marathon or relay race), i.e. he can´t start in an individual discipline and at the same time be a member of a team in a relay race.
Participation limit:
The main organizer determines the participation limits for each run, and is entitled to stop the registrations ad hoc depending on the overall development of the number of registered runners and the circumstances related to the organization of the event, especially with regard to track capacity, logistics possibilities and the current epidemiological situation.
Registration:
on-line by predpredaj.sk or bratislavamarathon.com
It is possible to register for one of the event disciplines, either before or during the event, only by filling the online application form. The participant is fully responsible for the accuracy and veracity of the data he filled in, including acceptance/ non-acceptance of consents and declarations within the application form, and acknowledges the consequences thereof. By participating in the event, the participant confirms and verifies the veracity of the data provided in the application form.
If you are interested in receiving SMS with your achieved result after reaching the finish line, or in order to send your photos from the event by e-mail after the event, it is necessary to fill in the details of your mobile number and e-mail address correctly !!!
If you would like to present us your running story, motivation, your running goals and plans or something interesting from your training, running history or your running environment, please write it in a note in the registration form or directly to brona@becool.sk.
Options for paying the entry fee:
The entry fee can be paid by payment card when registering online and using the payment terminal within the registration system, or directly at the event if the participation limit for the chosen discipline is not reached. In case of problems with payment, contact registracia@becool.sk.
After filling in the application form properly, the system will offer you the option of payment by payment card or via internet banking. After proper payment of the entry fee, you will receive the confirmation email about the payment. The participant is considered duly registered and his legal relationship with the organizer and participation in the event is confirmed only at the time of payment of the start fee and its crediting to the organizer's account. Only at this moment does the participant fully meet all the requirements set by the event organizer in these propositions.
The price of the entry fee depends on the date (day) when the payment was done (not from the date of registration in the system). When paying online via the registration system, the payment is credited immediately after payment, so we recommend that you use this payment option, you can immediately verify your successful registration in the list of registered on the event website.
Notification of non-participation - health problems - change of the runner:
Paid entry fees will not be refunded. In case of notification of non-participation by 09.03.2024, the runner has the opportunity to use the entry fee in the next year of the event (registracia@becool.sk). If the competitor announces his non-participation for health reasons and proves it with a document from the attending doctor in the period from 10.03.2024 to 06.04.2024, he also has the opportunity to apply for the entry fee in the next year of the event (registracia@becool.sk).
In case the runner cannot participate and wish to transfer his start number to another runner (with his signed written consent sent by e-mail to registracia@becool.sk), he/she can do this until 28.02.2024. However, the person who was originally registered must contact us, the method of reporting data about the new runner will be resolved with this person. The new participant picks up the start package and brings all requested confirmations.
Re-registrations after 01.03.2024 until the presentation days is charged in the amount of 5, - EUR, which will be paid when picking up the start package. The organizer will process re-registrations as they are reported. It is not possible to re-register on the day of the race; it is possible to re-register no later than the day before the relevant race! After picking up the starter pack, re-registration is no longer possible.
The start number is non-transferable. In case the organizer finds out that a runner other than the one listed in the registration system has been running with the start number, the competitor will be disqualified and will be banned from participating in events organized by BE COOL, s.r.o. and the Bratislavský maratón, o.z.
Insurance:
All participants are obliged to secure individual health insurance (standard general health insurance at any insurance company is sufficient!). The organizer is not responsible for property or health damages related to the transport, stay and participation in the event. Each participant takes part in the run on his/ her own responsibility and is responsible for his/her health condition in which he/she goes to the start and stays on the event.
Each participant is obliged to check the mentioned health insurance company during the presentation (this also applies when taking over the start package for another participant). Foreign participants will present a photocopy of the health insurance card for this event. Without presenting this confirmation, the competitor will not be given a start package, even if he/she has paid the entry fee.
On the back of the start number (for the disciplines of marathon, half-marathon and 10 km run), as well as in the on-line registration form, you have the option, at your discretion, to fill in the health information about you that you deem appropriate which can help the organizer with your eventual treatment during the event. This data will be used by the organizer only in case of health complications of the competitor and subsequent treatment by the medical and rescue service. If you wish you can add information about your actual health status, illness, allergy, contact person or other important information which could help us in case medical treatment will be provided to you. If changes as to your health occur in the period between the registration and presentation, please inform about them the organizer during the presentation.
Before the start we recommend to all runners a medical check.
Start fee includes:
- Start envelope/ pack,
- start number with time measurement chip,
- possibility to add your name on the start number, or the name of the relay, the flag of the country of origin (in case the participant/ relay registers and pays the start fee till 28.02.2024 and states his/ her name or the name of the team relay) in the on-line registration form),
- ticket for the Saturday´s Pasta Party (06.04.2024, 14:00-18:00 Eurovea),
- refreshment on the track (marathon, half-marathon, 10 km run)
- refreshment in the finish,
- medal after crossing the finish line,
- Finisher t-shirt for the marathon and half marathon participants (after crossing the finish line, you will receive the exact information about the picking up the T-shirt before the event),
- SMS with result time in disciplines, where chips are used in case the participant fills his/her mobile phone number in the online registration form,
- online diploma- possibility to download and print it from the event web site,
- online marathon magazine with information about the event,
- possibility to use changing rooms,
- possibility to keep your personal belongings in the deposit (except for kid´s runs),
- special start number for the „newcomers“ (pick up during the presentation), who will run their discipline for the first time ever,
- other benefits about which we will inform continuously.
Photos:
Photo services at the event are provided by an international company dedicated to processing and sending photos from sports events. After the end of the event, or running your discipline, a database of photos created by photographers at the event will usually be sent to your email the next day. You will be able to purchase digital quality photos at discounted prices, choosing and purchasing 1, 2 or the entire set of your photos. Also thanks to the fact that the mentioned service is charged, we can cover the course of the event with a larger number of photographers and use high-quality AI services to send photos and identify you in the crowd of runners. Our goal is to increase the level of service provided and bring you a higher quality product that should be a long-term memory of your commitment, sports performance and emotions at the event.
Timing and results:
Timing is provided by the timekeeping company VOS-TPK. The results will be published by the organizer immediately after the event on the website sportsofttiming.sk and subsequently on bratislavamarathon.com. Competitors will be included in the result list in the order according to the official time (time from the start of the zone in which the competitor is before the start to the moment of crossing the finish line - gun time zone). The result list will also contain an informative indication of the achieved net (unofficial) time.
Starting zones:
The starting corridor will be divided into time zones in the disciplines of marathon, half marathon, 10 km run and minimarathon. In the registration form, do not forget to state your time achieved at the event in 2023, or time achieved in 2024 in the event with a comparable track length. The start corridor will be divided into several zones according to the stated time, which will make the start and the first kilometers more fluent. A competitor who does not state his/her time, will be automatically placed in the last zone at the end of the starting field, so it is important to state your time correctly when filling in the online registration form. We strongly demand you to state your real times, and in this way you show respect to your fellow runners.
Important Notice!!! The zones on the start numbers will be listed according to the status of validly registered participants' applications as of February 29, 2024. Participants registered after this deadline will be assigned the last zone.
If the time you entered for the selected discipline from the moment of registration to the beginning of the event has improved and you are therefore interested in being included in the earlier zone, it is necessary to bring a printed result list with the achieved improvement to the event presentation (picking the starting pack), or demonstrate this fact to the organizers at the presentation of participants in the result list of the event where you have achieved improved time. Without this document proving your improvement, the zone will not be changed by the organizers. The same rule applies to participants who register after 01.03.2024, who will otherwise be included in the last zone.
In the case the participant starts from a different (earlier) zone than the one assigned to him, he is exposed to the possibility of being penalized by the organizer (referee) + 10 minutes. During registration, the organizer will perform individual checks of the specified times to match your actual performance. He will contact the runners by e-mail. The aim of this measure is to create the best possible conditions for runners who respect the rules and instructions of the organizer with regard to their sports performance and thus show respect and esteem to other running colleagues.
For the participants of the relay, the separate zone will be created, which will be located in the middle of the start corridor. In the event that the relay starts from the earlier zone, it will be penalized by the organizer (referee) + 10 minutes. The preliminary proposal for the zoning of the start is below, but it can be changed depending on the epidemiological rules of the event and the limits of the participants within the start of the individual waves:
| ELITE | MARATHON
˂ 3:15 h HALF MARATHON ˂ 1:45 h -Slovak championhip in HM -Slovak championhip in HM for the police forces, .. |
MARATHON
3:15:01 – 3:45 h HALF MARATHON 1:45:01 – 1:55 h |
MARATHON
3:45:01 – 4:15 h HALF MARATHON 1:55:01 – 2:05 h RELAYS |
MARATHON
4:15:01 – 5:00 h HALF MARATHON ˃ 2:05:01 |
Time limits (calculated from the start of the last zone):
Competitors who are on the race route after the time limit are obliged to respect the decision of the judge or doctor to withdraw from the competition and give them the start number. Limits for the course of individual sections of the track are set as follows:
06.04.2024
1:30 hod. – 10 km run
07.04.2024
The time limit is determined by an average speed of 7 minutes / km, if the competitor reaches the finish line within a time limit of 5 hours. The last zone will be started at 09:12. (other time zones will be as follows: 09:00 - 09:04 - 09:08, unless the start times are adjusted by the event director and head judge).
5.km 10:47 h (00:35:00 min) applies for all disciplines
10.km 11:23 h (01:11:00) applies for all disciplines
15.km 10:48 h (01:46:00) applies for all disciplines
20.km 11:34 h (02:22:00) applies for marathon + marathon relays
21.1 km 11:42 h (02:30:00) applies for marathon + marathon relays
25.km 12:10 h (02:58:00) applies for marathon + marathon relays
30.km 12:45 h (03:33:00) applies for marathon + marathon relays
35.km 13:21 h (04:09:00) applies for marathon + marathon relays
40.km 13:57 h. (04:45:00) applies for marathon + marathon relays
42,2 km 14:12 h. (05:00:00) applies for marathon + marathon relays
Note: Marathon runners who reach the 35th km within the time limit and are physically and medically able to complete the remaining 7.2 km to the finish line will be allowed to reach the finish line even after the time limit has expired - subject to the safety of the competitors and regularity of the sports part of the event.
Age limits:
- 18 years (year of birth 2006 and older) – marathon, half marathon
- 16 years (year of birth 2008 and older) – 10 km run, relays and minimarathon
In the discipline of minimarathon it is allowed with the written consent of the responsible representative, participation of runners even younger than 16 years, i.e. year of birth 2008 and younger. For more information, contact registracia@becool.sk.
Deposit and changing rooms:
They will be directly in the Eurovea complex in marked places close to the start and finish. You can find more detailed information before the event on the website in the technical map of the event.
Refreshment stations marathon and half marathon (07.04.2024):
Refreshment stations will be located at approximately each 5 km (5-10-15-20-25-30-35-40).
At refreshment stations, the first table will be with own refreshments, on other tables there will be drinks in cups or bottles in the order of water, ionic drink, followed by refreshments (bananas, chocolate, lemons, grape sugar, salt, etc.) and buckets of water and sponges (according to current epidemiological regulations).
A competitor who takes refreshments outside the refreshment stations risks being disqualified (WA rules - rule 240 point 9/e).
Freshening stations will be located between refreshment stations approximately at 2,5 – 7,5 – 12,5 – 17,5 – 22,5 – 27,5 – 32,5 – 37,5 km.
On freshening stations cups with water and buckets with water and sponges will be placed.
Own refreshments in unbreakable boxes, with visibly marked start number and km of the respective refreshment station, the runners must hand over it on Sunday (07.04.2027) till 7:30 a.m. at latest at the signed place of the presentation place.
Refreshment on 10 km run (06.04.2024)
approx. on the 5th km a refreshment station with water will be placed.
Please throw empty bottles, cups, gels and sponges into marked waste zones and the litter-bins placed behind the refreshment stations so that they do not endanger runners behind you and do not pollute the area around the track. At the end of each refreshment station mobile toilets will be placed.
After crossing the finish line please do not stand under the finish arch but proceed fluently within the finish corridor. Breathe when going which will improve your blood circulation. In case you don´t feel well in the finish corridor please use the medical service offered there.
Rules:
The race takes place according to the rules of WA athletics competitions and the provisions of these propositions. The runner may leave the course with permission and under the supervision of the judge, provided that this does not reduce the race distance. A runner who receives refreshments outside the refreshment stations accepts the risk of being excluded from the race. The runner must immediately leave the race if ordered by the event's chief physician.
Any accompaniment (including bicycle escort), or any assistance to the runner during the competition by other persons, except for the necessary medical intervention by doctors / paramedics designated by the event organizing committee, is considered as prohibited help.
The last runners will be followed by buses, which will ensure the transport of runners who do not meet the time limit from the track to the finish. Runners who stop running for other reasons will wait for this bus or will be transported to the finish line individually.
It is strictly forbidden according to WA rules to use in-ear headphones while running. The runner who breaks this rule can be disqualified by the referee. The use of headphones during the run is dangerous especially with regard to the safety of runners and spectators, possible organizational guidelines, interventions and instructions of the organizers on the track during the run, the need to respond to the movement of accompanying vehicles, motorcycles and bicycles of the organizer, police, medical and rescue services. Moreover, you will lack the atmosphere created by runners, spectators and the accompanying program that is ready for you.
Protests:
Protests have to be submitted verbally to the chief arbiter at latest 30 minutes after the results are announced. Appeal against the decision of the chief arbiter, accounted by 10 EUR, has to be submitted to the jury in written form within 30 minutes after the official announcement of the chief arbiter´s decision.
Special evaluated categories besides the official results of the event:
Special awards:
The fastest newcomer in the marathon, half marathon and 10 km run
Runners, who run a marathon, half marathon or 10 km run for the first time and mark the "newcomer" box during the registration, will be evaluated in a separate order. We will evaluate and reward (with material prizes) after the event of the first three men and the first three women.
This is an additional competition, which aims to reward runners who run the discipline for the first time at an official running event, i.e. they have not yet participated in any official running event with the specified track length. !!! It does not mean that they are participating in the ČSOB Bratislava marathon for the first time !!!
The fastest man/woman residing in Bratislava
In these disciplines: marathon, half marathon, 10 km run and minimarathon, we will evaluate and reward (with material prizes) first three men and women who state in the registration form „Bratislava“ as their place of residence.
Common provisions:
The organizer BE COOL, s.r.o. reserves the right, depending on the circumstances, to modify and specify some of the information provided in these propositions, or organizational guidelines. The organizer BE COOL, s.r.o. also reserves the right to cancel or suspend the event or any of the event's disciplines in case of serious danger, in particular war, adverse weather, the spread of the epidemic and the associated potential threats to participants and spectators health, terror or other attacks threatening event participants, or from other unforeseeable vis maior events and circumstances.
In this case, the runner is not entitled to a refund of the entry fee, or a part of it, the organizer has already incurred the costs of preparing the event in the time before the actual moment of interruption / cancellation of the event. However, after considering all the circumstances and quantifying the costs associated with the preparation of the event, the organizer may compensate the runner a part of the entry fee.
Contact: BE COOL, s.r.o., Krajinská 37, 821 06 Bratislava, Slovakia.
Prior to the event, the organizer will publish a manual and rules of participation and behavior for the event for runners, organizational team and spectators in accordance with the relevant epidemiological and hygienic rules.
We look forward to seeing you and thank you for your support!!!
Jozef Pukalovič
Race director and main organizer
