Cela roams around: Running up that road

When I’m not travelling and when I’m in Poland during the weekend I take part in running competition.

During one of several weekends that I’ve spent in Poland I’ve managed to do half marathon in Hajnowka. Hajnowka is a small city of about 22 000 inhabitants in north-east Poland. It’s called “Gate to Bialowieza Forest” which is the biggest primaeval forest in Europe and a home to wisents, elks, semi-wild horses, wild bores and so on.

Route of the run was from Bialowieza to Hajnowka, where we could take a shower, got some food in a school canteen and where the winners were announced. Our running club: Accelerate – KB Accenture was successful and three of our runners got among the winners in their age categories. I was running under false name, as I did not manage to sign in on time and there were no places left, so I took over my friend’s number who was not fit enough to run (actually myself I wonder how the hell after so many breaks in trainings and no unwelcoming conditions in Dubai to train I’ve managed to accomplish this run in a slightly longer than 2h. Maybe these were trainings in Dubai heat that got me prepared to polish heat in May).

Actually somehow I've thought that the run will be somewhere in the woods, something like Polmaraton Swietych Mikolajow in Torun, but apparently it was straight road between Bialowieza to Hajnowka where cars were passing by from time to time. Additionally I was told that there is a huge hill just after 17th kilometer and I was awaiting it with a great fear. But there was nothing. Almost nothing. I could feel tiny hill, but in fact I was expecting something like the hill in Warsaw where we always train - Agrykola. My disappointment that there was no high hill was positive one in fact.

After winners were announced there was a party in one of the agro touristic complexes. Band was playing, Cossacks were fighting and we were drinking, playing Frisbee with my flip-flops and dancing. In fact there was some really good dancing going on. I’ve very much enjoyed it. Especially that I haven't been on any running competition for nearly a year. It was so cool to see all those people who still remembered me and were really happy to see me again. Making new friends has always been easy job for me, so I've managed to get to know some people. Especially that runners are friendly and it does not matter how fast or how good you are running everyone is always welcome.