Garnier Junior Marathon

Junior Marathon (JM) is a yearlong running sports event for secondary school students. It is a unique project whose main goal is to bring the marathon idea to students and give them the opportunity to participate in the Czech Republic‘s largest sports event – Prague International Marathon. The whole idea originated in 1997 with Gelindo Bordin, Olympic marathon winner from Seoul, and since then has grown into an immense project with more than 2,000 schools participating.

The Full Marathon route (42 195 m) is too long for teenagers. In the Junior Marathon this route is done as a relay race – ten students from each secondary school in one team.

Having the Junior Marathon run as a relay develops a collective sports spirit among the team members. From the beginning, the Delegation of European Commission to the Czech Republic, the Ministry of Education and the public authorities have supported the positive image of this event.

Time schedule of the project

• November 2008 – March 2009: Promotion of the project, communication with schools and organization of school rounds
• April – May 2009: Organization of regional semi-finals
• 10th of May 2009: Final race together with Prague Marathon

The semi-finals are organized on a regional level, with at least one semi – final per each of the 14 Czech regions. The semifinals are festive marathon-like events in regional centers all over the Czech Republic featuring not just the student competitions but also a wide program for the public full of activities and music.

The JM final is a part of May’s Volkswagen Prague Marathon where the finalists share the starting line with the best athletes of the world. This is not only meant figuratively but also in reality – the JM finalists start together with the top athletes in the front of starting field. According to the statements of all participants involved, this is an unforgettable experience.