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The winners of the first ever PIM Women's Challenge

PIM, Volkswagen and Hilton Prague awarded the winners of the first ever PIM Women's Challenge on the occasion of the PIM Gala Evening on May 20th, 2010.

Among the 10 women which we chose to follow through diaries and to support with a coaching and medical team, two women received the Awards of the PIM Women's Challenge 2010.

Pavlina Folovska has been awarded with the first prize for achieving her personal goal very successfully and for her contribution to the promotion of running. Pavlina ran the Volkswagen Prague Marathon in 4h04, an improvment of more than an hour compare to her first ever marathon last year. The first prize is a car leasing offered by Volkswagen.

Anna Ryvova received the award of the most disciplined girl for writing her diaries and taking part in the reunions on a regular basis. Anna ran the Hervis Prague Half Marathon earlier in March. The prize consists of a 1 night stay at Hilton Prague, offered by Hilton Prague.

Among the women from all over the world who took part in the final drawing of the PIM Women's Challenge 2010, Marketa Unzeitigova was the lucky one to be awarded with the 3rd prize, a romantic weekend for 2 persons offered by Hilton Prague Old Town.

Congratulations to all women for their effort and thank you for taking part in the PIM Women's Challenge 2010! Keep an eye on our website for the launch of the 2011 PIM Women's Challenge!

We hope to see you again next year or at the adidas Women's Race 5km on 11 September 2010!

Keep running and enjoy the summer!

The PIM Women’s Challenge is a new project for the 2010 season that is directed at women of all ages and fitness levels and is part of PIM’s ongoing commitment to encourage people to incorporate running into their daily life. Level 1 of the Challenge is still open to any woman, whether based in the Czech Republic or elsewhere; Level 2 is now closed for the 2010 season.

Level 1 - Register, train and run:

Anyone can enter and be part of the PIM women’s community. There is no competition. The PIM Women’s Challenge is aimed at giving a goal and a sense of belonging to all women who want to do something good for their health, body and soul. By registering to take part in one of the PIM races that form part of the PIM Women’s Challenge, the preparation for the race and the taking part itself will give all those that enter the assistance and motivation to get started, and, finally, the enormous sense of achievement that completing the challenge will bring.

Level 2 - Share your experiences and win the Challenge:

Level 2 of the Challenge is now closed for the 2010 season. 10 women have been selected whose stories we are following through the maintenance of a diary, the carrying out of interviews, ongoing follow-up and more. These women are followed by a coaching team and are taking part in a contest that is based partly on their fitness improvement and also on their perseverance in writing.

Information relating to the women chosen to take part in the 2010 PIM Women’s Challenge, Level 2, can be found here.

Which races form part of the PIM Women’s Challenge?

The races forming part of the PIM Women’s Challenge include individual and team races. The team races require the entry of a team of 4, who will run either the full distance or run as a relay. The team can include men, but only the women that are in the team are eligible for the PIM Women’s Challenge:

Hervis Prague Half Marathon - Saturday 27 March 2010

as individual (1x 21.0975km)
as team (4x 21.0975km)
as relay (3x 5km + 1x 6.097km)

Volkswagen Prague Marathon - Sunday 9 May 2010

as individual (1x 42.195km)
as team (4x 42.195km)
as relay (3x 10km + 1x 12.195km)

Who is eligible for the PIM Women’s Challenge?

The PIM Women’s Challenge is open to all women, from serious competitors to those that have never taken part in a race before, but want to try:

Level 1 - anyone can enter the PIM Women’s Challenge, irrespective of age, occupation, fitness level and residence.

Level 2 – is now closed for the 2010 season.

How did we choose the women to follow?

PIM appointed a Committee to choose the runners to follow from all the women that entered Level 2 of the PIM Women’s Challenge, 2010. Their goal was to cover the widest possible spectrum of different runners’ profiles. The Committee was made up of the Chairman of the Organizing Committee of the Prague International Marathon, Carlo Capalbo, Vanda Kadeřábková-Březinová, the fitness trainer who has been running the various training sessions between now and the races, and two other members of the PIM team. The Committee chose the runners based on a number of criteria:

The reasons why they are taking part and their motivation
Their age
Their occupation
Whether they have children
Their fitness level
Whether they have ever run in an event before

The selected women have the chance to take part in many special activities around their preparation, both during and after their chosen race. The PIM Women’s Challenge represents a unique opportunity to meet like-minded people and to set and achieve new goals.

PIM has been following these women from the start of their training regime and will continue until the successful completion of their chosen race. PIM has helped with their training, is covering their stories and will award prizes to those that meet with a number of criteria along the way.

The stories of these women are published on our website and used in articles from our media partners. We have been following them through:

Their own personal training diaries
Interviews with them during various stages of their training
Photographs of them training
And we will interview them after their chosen race
We will also follow-up with them during the summer – what are they doing now?

What do we offer?

Level 1 - on registration for one of the races in the PIM Women’s Challenge, all women will receive:

A special training plan designed by our coach and posted on the PIM website
Regular emails from our coach advising on workouts for the period ahead, and answering training, nutrition and health questions
Receipt of the PIM newsletter
Special PIM Women’s Challenge start number
Special PIM Women’s Challenge T-shirt
Special start bag

Level 2 – the selected women have received all of the above plus:

Free race entry
Fitness tests after selection and on a regular basis during their preparation, and before and after the race
Free entry to spa
Regular training sessions specifically for women with our coaching team
adidas outfit and “miCoach”, the new electronic training device from adidas
Access to the VIP area near the start and finishing line on race day
Race briefing from our coaching team
Free post-race massage
Free race photos for free

PIM Women’s Challenge - Awards

The PIM Women’s Challenge is not about competing for the best time. It is about overcoming fears, setting and achieving a personal goal, gaining confidence and being persistent in your training. Besides the races itself, the selected women to follow (level 2) automatically take part in a double contest for which the awards are as follows:

Award for the biggest improvement

Election by the Committee together with the coaching team
Based on a number of criteria, including weight lost, reduced heart rate, improved skin and appearance, gain in confidence etc.
Each woman has been given a personal goal, based on her overall fitness level and personal situation. The award will be attributed according to the level of achievement of the individual’s personal goal.

Award for the most disciplined woman

Election by the Committee together with the project manager of the PIM Women’s Challenge
Based on a number of criteria, such as attendance at meetings, frequency and quality of the diaries, respecting of deadlines and availability for interviews and photo shooting.

Miscellaneous

There is no special ranking for the PIM Women’s Challenge as there is no time competition. The women taking part in the PIM Women’s Challenge will be listed in the normal ranking lists.

There will be a specially dedicated booth at the Sport Expo with information about the PIM Women’s Challenge as well as special offers and activities from our partners.

KEEP AN EYE ON THESE PAGES FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ON THE PIM WOMEN’S CHALLENGE, 2011