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How We Ran

Against the wind, against the smoke, against everything unpleasant and against the current of the Danube…

34th New Year's Eve Run across the Bridges of Bratislava (2025)

Humble beginnings in 1991…
I looked back through my notes and discovered that my first record of the run across the bridges of Bratislava dates back to 1991. I am not entirely sure whether it was truly the first edition of the race or simply my first participation, but only a modest number of runners took part. At that time, in 1991, Bratislava had as many as (or perhaps only?) three bridges across the Danube.

We started in front of the Port Bridge, near the entrance to the port, ran across the bridge to Petržalka, continued along the flood embankment to what was then the Bridge of the Red Army, crossed it back into Bratislava, followed the Danube to the SNP Bridge, crossed it to Petržalka again, where the finish line was located under the SNP Bridge. The course was about five kilometres long.

The race was organised by railway workers; one of the main organisers was Mr Podracký, whom I was pleased to meet again at the finish of this year's 34th edition. In 1991 there were not many of us. I remember that T. Giertli won the race, Jožo Krčmár finished first among the veterans, and I came second. There were no women competing. The first prize was a taxi ride home provided by Kramara, the first private taxi company in Bratislava, which promoted itself in this way.

Our race numbers were stuck directly onto our jackets – they were stickers from Wagon Slovakia, a railway subsidiary, "procured" by Ferko Brunovský, who worked there, while his wife Ruženka looked after us. In short, it was a truly family-style event. After the race, we moved to a wooden "hut-pub" near the Bridge of the Red Army for the awards ceremony. The raffle was drawn by my son Broňo, who had not yet started school and did not know numbers, so he could not possibly favour anyone.

Now it is 2025 – the 34th edition.
Bratislava now has five bridges across the Danube, and the course is a "long" 11,500 metres. And not only that. This year, reportedly 1,991 runners took part, including around 500 Spanish soldiers stationed in Lešť. "Only" 1,987 runners actually finished – four got lost along the way but were eventually found – including 541 women. How times have changed!

These numbers matter, because running itself – that forward movement of the body in which, at a certain phase, both feet are off the ground – is not the only pleasure of the activity. The other is its social dimension: sharing running joys (and troubles), conversations, simply what is called "socializing" in English.

That is why the three of us agreed before the race to run together and enjoy it. There are only two categories, men and women, and although we still feel like men, there are certainly faster runners among the participants. So we decided to run at the pace of the slowest of us.

And so Katka B., Gabo B., and I, Vilo N., formed a "triumvirate" with the aim of running and finishing the 11.5 km race together. We met, stored our backpacks in a van (amazingly, as part of the start number we received a paper strip with our number that could be attached to the backpack – quick and efficient; something the organisers of the ČSOB Marathon still struggle to manage). There was no time for a warm-up, so we entered corridor two.

The start was on the Petržalka side, in the area of the so-called University of Economics, which kindly provided its campus for such a noble activity as a running race.

What to wear?
For the vast majority, tights were the obvious choice, and on top, three layers were optimal, one of them a windproof jacket. The air temperature was around zero, but a freezing north-west wind was blowing at about 10 m/s. Add around 4 m/s from running, and you get 14 m/s – serious wind chill. Better more layers than fewer. That is how the three of us dressed.

As always, there were experts in shorts (brrr) and short-sleeved shirts. Of course, the faster the runner, the more heat they generate, but judgement is required. Two layers, one of them windproof, is in my view the absolute minimum.

We set off.
Someone counted down from ten and instead of "zero" used the word "start", and we slowly began to run. Not because we lacked strength, but because starts are always slow: in the first wave there are many runners from other waves, which inevitably slows things down. That did not bother us. The three of us tried to stay together, constantly checking on one another.

We had to be careful: the asphalt was covered with a layer of ice. Conditions improved on the Port Bridge, where the pedestrian walkway was dry, sheltered under the roadway. The bridge is really long – over a kilometre. Then came Apollo Bridge into Petržalka; the descent from the bridge onto the embankment was very slippery, and we mostly held on to the railing.

Then the embankment, the run onto the Old Bridge, a turnaround halfway across, and back towards the SNP Bridge. The wind was relentless, pushing hard against frozen runners. Even three layers did not help much. I was cold, but relied on my resilience. From Petržalka across the SNP Bridge into Bratislava and back again, and then onward along the road, climbing back onto the embankment towards Lanfranconi Bridge.

Dream Team KGV in action (I)

The embankment
Flat and exposed, allowing the wind full access – and it took full advantage. There was no point hiding behind anyone; we would manage the remaining three kilometres to the finish. We stayed together at a decent pace of about 5:30 per kilometre. Of course, that is slow, but everything is relative, including slowness. I felt we were running optimally given our abilities. For the most part, we were overtaking others, though occasionally someone overtook us. I was especially impressed by Katka – she held the pace effortlessly; she is simply gifted…

Up onto the Lanfranconi Bridge footpath; we kept checking our position because we wanted to finish together. One last steep climb (the devil himself must have designed it) into the FTVŠ UK stadium. We joined hands and crossed the finish line together. It was great, despite the vicious wind trying to stop and freeze us. It did not succeed.

Finish.
I looked at my watch. It was better than I had expected in such a strong headwind: all three of us finished in 1:04:18, with the net time about half a minute faster. I should have had a drink, but the queue for tea was endless, and the one for sausages even longer. I was neither thirsty nor hungry, and standing around in the cold did not appeal to me. I collected my bag, put on my jacket, and headed home.

Another successful running event behind us – or, properly speaking, a runners' event.

Dream Team KGV in action (II)

Who was the best?
Among the men, the current best Slovak runner, M. Rusina, won in 38:07. Among the women, L. Pelikánová was the fastest in 43:38. Worth mentioning is the time of the best of the more than 500 Spanish soldiers, Ignacio (or Ignác) Arias Gudrón, with 42:33, and also the performance of Petra Nebeská (daughter of our friend J. Nebeský), who finished in 1:05:55.

It was a very successful event. This time, STARZ really delivered. Thank you. 

Written by Viliam Novák (translated into English by Elena Malíková)