May 14 Even 2 important athletics events will take place in Vilnius events – Lithuanian 100 km championship and LLAF Spring Cup 5000 m running competition. First, early in the morning, in New City the 100 km running competition will start, and in the evening, at Vingios park stadium, the runners will compete in the fourth "Vilnius 5000" competition.
"The World's Fastest Run powered by Nord Security" - Lithuanian 100 km championship
Starting at 6 o'clock in the morning, Švitrigailos 32, the run is characterized by a unique track, as the length of the lap is 1,644 km. For this reason, the participants will cover as many as 100 laps in the 60 km distance.
One of the organizers of the competition and 100 km world record holder Alexander Sorokin (6 hours 5 minutes 41 seconds) was happy with the implementation of the idea: "The idea arose after regular competitions abroad, when we decided that we could organize such an event in Lithuania as well. I am extremely grateful to the sponsors and the city of Vilnius for the organization."
"For the first time in the country, we will have a specific run of this format, where all the conditions are created to improve the record," said A. Sorokinas. The participants will be accompanied by changers for the entire distance pacemakers (pace runners), so the competition will be able to partially remind Eliud Kipchoge's marathon run (1 hour 59 minutes 40 seconds) in Vienna (Austria).
As the competition approaches, ultramarathoner A. Sorokinas was also happy about the upcoming competition: "We have invited several extremely fast athletes from abroad, and we expect to see around 30 Lithuanians." In addition, the competition will include a relay race. Just a few days ago JAV the world record holder, who returned from the high-altitude camp, did not hide that the 100 km event is not his main event, so he is worried: "Although the sports form is better than last year, the result will be determined by various details, and all competitors will very much want to win."
"The main goal is to win the competition and improve one's own record, but, as I have already mentioned, it is difficult to predict the final result in such a long distance," said A. Sorokinas.
According to A. Sorokin, all spectators will be entertained, feasted, and surprised, so it will not be boring: "In such competitions, support for athletes is very important, especially in the last stretch. I invite everyone to come around 10 am. and watch the final leg."
5000 m running competition "Vilnius 5000"
"Our goal is to make high-quality competitions and to connect different communities of runners, so that both professionals and amateurs running for their own sake will participate in one competition," said one of the organizers about the uniqueness of the stadium competition. Arnas Gabrėnas.
Although in the first year the number of participants was limited by the COVID-19 pandemic (only an elite run with 20 participants), later the number of runners in the competition steadily increased. "Last year we had about 80 adults and 70 children, so this year we hope to see more than 100 runners," said A. Gabrėnas.
According to Arno, it is important to show athletics not only from the side of stress and excitement: "We always create a festive, festival atmosphere and try to show the sport as an activity where you can not only compete, but also have fun in pursuit of personal records."
"The support of the spectators is always very motivating, so we encourage everyone to come and support the runners, because this is one of the most important things for achieving a result," said A. Gabrėnas. A DJ, food and other entertainment will await the spectators at the competition.
The start of the competition is at 17.00:XNUMX p.m. at Vingi Park Stadium. It is important to mention that points will not be counted for clubs in the LLAF Spring Cup 5000m race.
