CHILDREN’S SMOKI MARATHON

18^th Children’s marathon
April 9^th 2011

18^th Children's Smoki Marathon
Winner – Nemanja Stoiljkovic, fastest one – Petar Elez

In Belgrade Zoo, on 230 meters long course around the “Elephant’s corner”, 18^th “Children’s Smoki Marathon” was held, on which 150 younglings (winners of their kindergarten’s qualifiers) have “chosen” the fastest one.
This time, we got the fastest young Belgradian on the one side and the new winner of the Children’s Smoki Marathon on the other side – impossible at the first glance, but it’s not.

In 12 qualifying races, with the great support of the acting crew – always willing for giving advises, telling jokes and singing, the future marathoners were competing for the place in the finals, where only winners had their chance. Growing sport’s spirit was at admirable level, and in the 5th qualifying race, Petar Elez was running like a wind. Petar, from the kindergarten “Veseljko”, “flew” over a very demanding course in only 36 seconds! That was the best result of the day, which made him a co-record holder of the course around “Elephant’s corner”. Result placed Petar as a favorite in the final race, and his rivals supposed to be Nemanja Stojiljkovic (kindergarten “Zvoncici”) and Lazar Hrnjaz (kindergarten “Cika Jova Zmaj”); only two of them ran the course under the magical 40 seconds: Nemanja 38s, Lazar 39s.
In the finals, also 3 girls were about to jeopardize Petar’s supremacy: Milica Andric (42s in the qualifiers), Jelena Jovic (42s) and Anja Kostic (43s); Jelena had special public attention, because she’s from the family of champions – her brother Nikola won 17th Children’s Marathon.
In the final race, as it happens even among great runners, not always the fastest one wins, rather the one who did the best management of strength, better start, luck, curve entrance…
This time that was the new winner Nemanja Stoiljkovic, who ran the course for 37 seconds, only a second slower than the record. He passed Petar, who passed the finish line obviously full of strength, but he had late finish.
Third place belonged to Ilija Simovic (kindergarten “Peter Pan”), and the title of Super-snail for the last ranked finalist went to Anja Kostic (kindergarten “Gorica”) – to make it clear, last in the finals is not a failure: Anja was ranked 12th among 18000 younglings who ran the qualifiers in their kindergartens.
For the first time ever, in the first promo race, the children with handicap were competing as well, with a support of Agency for sport and recreation of handicapped of Belgrade.

Racing day in Belgrade zoo was opened by Snezana Samardzic-Markovic, Minister of Youth and Sports in Serbian Government, who reminded that sport for the youngest is one of the most important "points" of a national strategy for sport and that "Children Smoki Marathon”, as well as the “Belgrade Marathon” (especially with its Fun Run), are nicely fitting in.