In 1999, the Miskolc Marathon Club led by the late Ádám Kisgyörgy (unfortunately, he passed away in 2011) successfully organized the 1st Kassa-Miskolc Ultramarathon in partnership with the Kassa Marathon Club. Csaba Németh won in Miskolc in the men’s singles competition on the main road between the two cities, but Slovakian athletes Peter Polak and Obraz Pavol were able to take the second and third place on the podium. Katrina Jedinakova won in the women’s individual event, while the Kassai Marathon Club, which started several teams, triumphed in both the women’s and men’s relays.

 

Unfortunately, the continuation of the initiative, which was welcomed by the running community, was not continued the following year, because despite a verbal promise made to Ádám Kisgyörgy by the municipality of Miskolc, it ultimately did not support the case, while Kassa was fully in favor of the continuation.

 

Even before the 94th Kassai Peace Marathon in 2017, which we watched on the spot, we had the idea that, stylistically speaking, we should run again in this joint race between the two sister cities belonging to the countries of the “Visegrad Four”.

Thanks to the nearly three-decade-long swimming sports relations of Juraj Skála from Kassa and Péter Hölcz from Miskolc, we contacted the local government of Kassa.

 

In February 2018, we received an appointment from the local government of Kassa for the purpose of establishing and renewing the relationship and outlining common ideas. The meeting proved to be extremely successful, as both parties committed themselves to continue.

 

The proposal of Branislav Koniar, the president of the Kassai Marathon Club, resonated with our vision: let’s organize it in 2019, on the 20th anniversary of the first Kassai-Miskolc Ultramarathon, and restart the competition, which will give us a repeated testimony of the two cities, the two counties exemplary cooperation, which is also an important message at the international level.

 

In May 2019, an event was held to promote Slovak-Hungarian sports friendship, to organize cross-border programs, and to present Kassa and Miskolc, as well as the settlements involved as switching points – Krasna, Nyizna Mysla, Kéked, Gönc, Vizsoly, Abaújszántó, Hernádkércs, Szikszó, Sajóvámos – with a start in Kassa and a goal in Miskolc – we woke up from “Sleeping Beauty’s dream”. In addition to individual runners, relay teams of 5 and 10 members could complete the 115 km distance.

 

It is a great honor and pride for us that from 2020, the Kassai Marathon Club, which organizes the oldest marathon running race in Europe, the Kassai Peace Marathon, which started in 1924 and has been organized every year since then, is our professional partner. It is no different today!