About JMC

The Junior Marathon is a race for teams of 10 high school students that run the marathon course as a relay.
Given its long distance, the marathon course is one of the most demanding running events. The Junior Marathon has therefore been adjusted to the abilities of young runners. The whole course of 42.195 km is divided into ten sections and run as a relay.
The goal of the Junior Marathon is to introduce the notion of running a marathon to young people ages 14 ? 18. Through sports we try to do away with the problems confronting today?s young generation such as alcohol, smoking, drugs and computer addiction.
The most valuable aspect of this race is its importance. The significance of the event itself has won the sympathies of students during its 13 years of existence. High school students have a unique opportunity to participate in the Prague Volkswagen Marathon. They participate in the televised final race which attracts national attention and additional coverage from abroad that grows every year.
The PIM organizing team is also trying to grow new elite runners who will bring honor to the Czech Republic for their performances on and off the marathon course.

Sports aspects

Participation in a unique team sporting event such as the marathon course run as a relay
Due to the race?s duration the team?s standing is not a deciding factor during the race ? the order changes continuously depending on the performance of each individual team member ? the team must perform at its best for the entire duration of the race to finish well.
The need to line up in the best relay order is large part of each team?s strategy
Completing a 4-km run is beyond imagination for many students these days

The Junior Marathon is a unique project existing in no other European country. A marketing survey in 2007 showed that 15% of the respondents from the Czech Republic were familiar with or remembered this event. The figure proves efficiency of the promotion campaign and interest in this sporting event outside Prague.

Organization of the Junior Marathon

The organizational structure of the race comes in three rounds ? the school-level runs, the semifinal runs and the final event.

School-level runs

Each high school entering the Junior Marathon can organize its own school-level run. The results of this run will help the school select members for its team. The only requirements when selecting the team members is their full-time enrolment in a study program and the inclusion of at least three girls.

Semifinals

There will be 14 semifinal races, one in each Czech region.

Overview of school participation in semifinals:

1997 ? 5 schools
1998 ? 35 schools
1999 ? 55 schools
2000 ? 85 schools
2001 ? 92 schools
2002 ? 102 schools
2003 ? 138 schools
2004 ? 148 schools
2005 ? 144 schools
2006 ? 135 schools
2007 ? 152 schools
2008 ? 108 schools
2009 ? 112 schools

JMC semifinal organization

Since 1998, students of the Palestra Academy of Sports (www.palestra.cz) have been organizing the semifinal races in cooperation with PIM.

Selection and location of the course

The running circuits of the semifinal races are located at historical centers and parks of big towns. This enables the participants to experience the conditions of a typical city race.

Qualification

A maximum of three teams qualify at the semifinals for the finals. The number of bids available at the finals for each region is based on the number of schools participating in their semifinal race:

1 ? 10 teams: 1 team qualifies
11 ? 20 teams: 2 teams qualify
21 and more: 3 teams qualify

If school enters two teams, only one can qualify.

Wild cards to the finals

The top three teams from the 2009 finals receive a wild card (Sport Academies from Jilemnice, Pardubice and the Jihlava Prep School). These teams must run in the semifinals but their results are not counted. Therefore, chances improve for those teams who have barely missed qualifying in the past.
The school whose school-level race has the best preparation and who provides the most detailed documentation of their results and photos from the race receives a wild card.
Any team who does not qualify in the semifinals can apply for a wild card. After the semifinals, PIM can give wild cards to teams who apply in order to fill out vacancies in the final race.

Finals

The final race will take place as a part of the Prague Volkswagen Marathon on Sunday, 9 May 2010. Travel and accommodation expenses (on Saturday night) for all teams (who qualify in the semifinals) are covered by PIM. The exchange zones are on the 4th, 8th, 12th, 16th, 20th, 24th, 28th, 32nd and 36th km along the marathon course. It is the race organizer?s responsibility to accompany the runners to the exchange zones. Participants of the Garnier Junior Marathon enjoy all the benefits prepared by PIM and its partners for the ?Volkswagen Marathon Weekend? on 8 and 9 May 2010.