The 12^th Children's Smoki Marathon

Athletic Hopes in the Garden of Good Hope

Nikola Kaip ran the course around the elephant cage in 37 seconds in the super-final.
It was an event worthy of qualifications in which 18,000 children from Belgrade kindergartens took part.

The return of the children’s marathon, this time as the Children’s Smoki Marathon at the Belgrade Zoo was more than successful. First days of spring, kids eager to run, actor Boda Ninković, clowns and other entertainers – masters of good atmosphere, big prizes, curious she-elephant Twiggy and other inhabitants of the Belgrade Zoo created an event to remember.
The fastest amongst the equals, in a competition where both contestants and spectators nibbled at Smoki, was Nikola Kaip, a boy from kindergarten “Izvorčić” and a footballer of Dušan Silni F.C. from Bežanijska Kosa. He ran the course in 37 seconds in the super-finals and seriously threatened the course record of 36 seconds set by Vladimir Stanojević (kindergarten “Lepa Vitas”) in 1996.
Marko Stojanović ("Zvezdani Gaj", Zvezdara) was the second, and Igor Terzić ("Suncokret", Palilula) the third. The fastest girl in this mixed race of “tortoises” and “rabbits” was Marija Lukić ("Veseljko", Železnik).
Triumphing in qualifying races the following runners also earned the right to compete in the super-final: Vanja Čitaković ("Sportski centar", Čukarica), Dara Stojaković ("Duga", Savski Venac), Uroš Lukić ("Srna", Novi Beograd, Stefan Radenković ("Leptirić", Lazarevac), Nikola Nikolić ("Plavi čuperak", Voždovac), Mateja Mastelica ("Slavujak", Karaburma), Stefan Todorović ("Cvrčak", Palilula) and the "super-snail" Milica Vujović ("Dečiji Lug", Zvezdara).
Little “marathoners” were showered with prizes. They were all presented with participant medals like real marathon runners, T-shirts and packets of snacks and sweets from Štark, and the fastest and slowest were awarded medals, “Esprit” watches, gifts from “Naša Srbija” and many other prizes.