Košice Peace Marathon

The Košice Peace Marathon is the oldest marathon in Europe and the second-oldest in the world (after the Boston Marathon).

The first course was held in 1924. The Marathon takes place each year on the first October Sunday.

Course

The course is flat, completely asphalted and traffic free, two laps in the historic city center of Košice, Slovakia.

Men's Record

* 2007 - William Biama (Kenya) 2:09:53

Women's Record

* 1989 - Alena Peterková (Czechoslovakia) 2:31:28

List of winners

Men

Note: winners are listed below for five of the seven war years (1938-44), five war winners are listed at official homepage too, although the history provided by the Košice Peace Marathon states: "The Slovakian Marathon suffered a cleft seven years wide. To some extent this was patched up with five marathons organized under the Hungarian flag during the Horthy occupation of Košice – without a single foreign runner..." Some slovak sport historians say, they have to count. (see [http://www.cassovia.sk/historiaclanky/vojmaratony/] )

Its status as the oldest marathon in Europe, and second-oldest in the world, remains undiminished by this break.

* 1924 - Karol Halla (Czechoslovakia)
* 1925 - Pál Király (Hungary)
* 1926 - Hans Hempel (Germany)
* 1927 - József Galambos (Hungary)
* 1928 - József Galambos (Hungary)
* 1929 - Hans Hempel (Germany)
* 1930 - István Zelenka (Hungary)
* 1931 - Juan Carlos Zabala (Argentina)
* 1932 - József Galambos (Hungary)
* 1933 - József Galambos (Hungary)
* 1934 - Josef Šulc (Czechoslovakia)
* 1935 - Arthur Motmillers (Latvia)
* 1936 - György Balaban (Austria)
* 1937 - Désiré Leriche (France)
* 1939 - József Kiss (Hungary)
* 1941 - József Gyimesi (Hungary)
* 1942 - József Kiss (Hungary)
* 1943 - Géza Kiss (Hungary)
* 1944 - Rezső Kövári (Hungary)
* 1945 - Antonín Špiroch (Czechoslovakia)
* 1946 - Mikko Hietanen (Finland)
* 1947 - Charles Heirendt (Luxembourg)
* 1948 - Gösta Leandersson (Sweden)
* 1949 - Martti Urpalainen (Finland)
* 1950 - Gösta Leandersson (Sweden)
* 1951 - Jaroslav Śtrupp (Czechoslovakia)
* 1952 - Erkki Puolakka (Finland)
* 1953 - Walter Bednář (Czechoslovakia)
* 1954 - Erkki Puolakka (Finland)
* 1955 - Evert Nyberg (Sweden)
* 1956 - Thomas Hilt Nilsson (Sweden)
* 1957 - Ivan Filin (USSR)
* 1958 - Pavel Kantorek (Czechoslovakia)
* 1959 - Sergey Popov (USSR)
* 1960 - Samuel Hardicker (Great Britain)
* 1961 - Abebe Bikila (Ethiopia)
* 1962 - Pavel Kantorek (Czechoslovakia)
* 1963 - Leonard Edelen (USA)
* 1964 - Pavel Kantorek (Czechoslovakia)
* 1965 - Aurèle Vandendriessche (Belgium)
* 1966 - Gyula Tóth (Hungary)
* 1967 - Nedjalko Farčić (Yugoslavia)
* 1968 - Václav Chudomel (Czechoslovakia)
* 1969 - Demisse Wolde (Ethiopia)
* 1970 - Mikhail Gorelov (USSR)
* 1971 - Gyula Tóth (Hungary)
* 1972 - John Farrington (Australia)
* 1973 - Vladimir Moyseyev (USSR)
* 1974 - Keith Angus (Great Britain)
* 1975 - Choe Chang Sop (North Korea)
* 1976 - Takeshi So (Japan)
* 1977 - Go Chun Son (North Korea)
* 1978 - Go Chun Son (North Korea)
* 1979 - Jouni Kortelainen (Finland)
* 1980 - Alexey Lyagushev (USSR)
* 1981 - Hans-Joachim Truppel (East Germany)
* 1982 - György Sinkó (Hungary)
* 1983 - František Višnický (Czechoslovakia)
* 1984 - Ri Dong Myong (North Korea)
* 1985 - Valentin Starikov (USSR)
* 1986 - František Višnický (Czechoslovakia)
* 1987 - Jörg Peter (East Germany)
* 1988 - Michael Heilmann (East Germany)
* 1989 - Karel David (Czechoslovakia)
* 1990 - Nikolay Kolesnikov (USSR)
* 1991 - Vlastimil Bukovjan (Czechoslovakia)
* 1992 - Wieslaw Palczyński (Poland)
* 1993 - Wieslaw Palczyński (Poland)
* 1994 - Petr Pipa (Slovakia)
* 1995 - Marnix Goegebeur (Belgium)
* 1996 - Marnix Goegebeur (Belgium)
* 1997 - My Tahar Echchadli (Morocco)
* 1998 - Andrzej Krzyscin (Poland)
* 1999 - Róbert Štefko (Slovakia)
* 2000 - Ernest Kipyego (Kenya)
* 2001 - David Kariuki (Kenya)
* 2002 - David Kariuki (Kenya)
* 2003 - Georgy Andreev (Russia)
* 2004 - Adam Dobrzynski (Poland)
* 2005 - David Maiyo (Kenya)
* 2006 - Edwin Kipchom (Kenya)
* 2007 - William Biama (Kenya)
* 2008 - Dejene Yirdawe (Ethiopia)

Women

* 1980 - Šárka Balcarová (Czechoslovakia)
* 1981 - Christa Vahlensieck (West Germany)
* 1982 - Gillian Burley (Great Britain)
* 1983 - Raisa Sadreidin (USSR)
* 1984 - Christa Vahlensieck (West Germany)
* 1985 - Lucia Belyayev (USSR)
* 1986 - Christa Vahlensieck (West Germany)
* 1987 - Christa Vahlensieck (West Germany)
* 1988 - Christa Vahlensieck (West Germany)
* 1989 - Alena Peterková (Czechoslovakia)
* 1990 - Carol McLatchie (USA)
* 1991 - Mária Starovská (Czechoslovakia)
* 1992 - Dana Hajná (Czechoslovakia)
* 1993 - Yelana Plastinin (Ukraine)
* 1994 - Ľudmila Melicherová (Slovakia)
* 1995 - Gouzel Tazetdin (Russia)
* 1996 - Gouzel Tazetdin (Russia)
* 1997 - Wioletta Uryga (Poland)
* 1998 - Wioletta Uryga (Poland)
* 1999 - Katarína Jedináková (Slovakia)
* 2000 - Ivana Martincová (Czech Republic)
* 2001 - Galina Zhulyevova (Ukraine)
* 2002 - Tadelech Birra (Ethiopia)
* 2003 - Yelena Mazovka (Belarus)
* 2004 - Rika Tabashi (Japan)
* 2005 - Edyta Lewandowska (Poland)
* 2006 - Natalia Kulesh (Belarus)
* 2007 - Natalia Kulesh (Belarus)
* 2008 - Selina Chelimo (Kenya)

External links

* [http://www.kosicemarathon.com/en/index.php Official Košice Peace Marathon Homepage]
* [http://www.cassovia.sk/mmm/ Some history]
* [http://marathoninfo.free.fr/historique/kosice.htm Marathon Info]