18th Turopolje Race 2010

This event in the town of Velika Gorica near Croatia's capital Zagreb incorporates a half marathon and a 5k race.

The course is flat and fast and PB friendly but not scenic at all. You run three laps around town, and each lap includes an out-and-back section on the busy main road to Zagreb's Airport. The inside lanes are reserved for runners, the outside lanes for cars, so that traffic jams form on your right and on your left.

Apart from that, the atmosphere is good. Participants are well catered for with food and drinks after the race, and there are plenty of valuable prizes for the best runners and for the lucky winners in the prize raffle.

Every year the race attracts some of the best distance runners from Croatia and neighbouring countries. In 2009, the winners were Ethiopia's Ashenafi Erkolo (1:07:14) and Ana Subotić of Serbia (1:14:59).

Turopolje is the name of the fertile plain around Velika Gorica. Many traditions have been preserved, and you may see some folk dancers and horse-drawn carts at the event. 

Country: Croatia

Venue (Map): Velika Gorica (Zagreb 16km, Ljubljana 148km, Graz 198km, Budapest 354km)

Date: 21 March 2010 (Sunday)

Race distance: 21.1km; 5km; 1km ("Family Run")

Start time: 9.00-10.10 (children); 10.30 (21km, 5km); 10.35 (1km)

Start and finish: at "Stadion Radnik" (Ulica Hrvatske Bratske zajednice 80, Velika Gorica)

Entries: by e-mail or by post; payment on the day

Entry fees (21km): 100 HRK (ca. 13.70 EUR)

Entry fees (5km): 50 HRK (ca. 6.85 EUR)

Race centre: at the start (8.00-10.15)

You get: T-Shirt, medal, certificate, pasta party (Saturday 18.00), soup and drinks after the race

Prizes (21km): prize money to the first 5 M/F; trophies and sponsor prizes to the first 3 in each category

Prizes (5km): trophies to the first 3 in each category

Showers and changing facilities: Stadion Radnik

Presentation: 12.00 (children), 12.45 (5km), 13.30 (21km)

Prize raffle: 14.00

Number of finishers 2009: 258 (21km), 89 (5km)

Event website (in Croatian): www.mkvg.hr

No guarantee is made as to the accuracy or thoroughness of the information on this page.