100 Years of the International Marathon in Košice

A marathon runner in front of St Elisabeth's Cathedral in the old town of Košice. Along the upper edge, the commemorative inscription 'KOŠICKÝ MARATÓN'; below the design, the issuing state 'SLOVENSKO' and the years '1924 – 2024'.

In October 1924, Košice held its first international marathon — just months after the Paris Summer Olympics, where the marathon distance of 42.195 kilometres had finally been standardised. The Košice Peace Marathon, as it is officially known today, is thus one of the oldest city marathons in the world; only Boston (1897) and Yonkers (1907) are older. From the outset, the race had an international character: runners from Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Austria and other countries took part, which was far from a given in the newly reordered postwar landscape of Central Europe. The route led, and still leads, through Košice's historic old town, past the Gothic St Elisabeth Cathedral — the largest Gothic sacred building in Slovakia and one of the country's most striking landmarks.

Košice itself is Slovakia's second-largest city and the economic and cultural centre of eastern Slovakia. The city was European Capital of Culture in 2013, together with Marseille, and looks back on a turbulent history: Hungarian rule, the founding of Czechoslovakia, the Second World War, socialism, Slovak independence in 1993. Through all these upheavals, the marathon has been held almost continuously — only the Second World War interrupted the series. The fact that the race celebrates its 100th anniversary in 2024 makes it one of the few sporting events in Europe with such a long, continuous history. Slovakia marked this anniversary with the issue of a 2-euro commemorative coin in 2024.