On Saturday October 3, 2009, on the eve of the 86th International Peace Marathon (IPM) Mayor of the City of Košice František Knapík received ceremonially the participants, organizers, partners and supporters of the IPM on the premises of the Historical Town Hall and he dedicated a Plaque of the Mayor of the City to a world marathon champion, a German runner, Waldemar Cierpinski. .
„I would particularly like to welcome and appreciate that an invitation to Košice was accepted by a marathon legend, a double Olympic champion from Montreal (1976) and Moscow (1980),considered by specialists to have been one of the best marathon runners of the 20th century – Mr. Waldemar Cierpinski." addressing his speech to this valuable guest.
„We, citizens of Košice, have known Waldemar Cierpinski very well as he had started his marathon career right in the Košice Marathon in 1974 and 11 years later he finished it again in Košice. To this day we are happy about his words 24 years ago when he said after his last marathon in Košice in 1985 that no Olympic victories in Montreal and Moscow would have existed without his start in Košice in 1974. I have the honour to say that the Košice Marathon has become a legend and a distinct event thanks to such a personality and marathon legend as Waldemar Cierpinski is. It is precious that the 86th Marathon is in token of such an important personality. František Knapík started the plaque dedication ceremony with these words:
„Dear Mr. Waldemar Cierpinski, on the occasion of the 86th International Peace Marathon I dedicate you a Plaque of the Mayor of the City of Košice for your contribution as a double Olympic winner to high quality and history of the Marathon event in the City of Košice,"
„I´ am very touched, that is a great honour to me, thank you very much," reacted already 59-year-old Waldemar Cierpinski. „It is very moving for me to come here where I started my career. I will be glad to come back with my runners who are trained under me," said Waldemar Cierpinski before his signing into the Chronicle of the City. The Sunday junior relay - race 42x1 km as an accompanying event of the IPM was named after him and he personally also ran the last leg.
„I would like to pay my own personal tribute to Mr. Waldemar Cierpinski and the Marathon by my active participation. To pay tribute to the Marathon - as it had already been called by poets - ´to this great cruel and endless run´ which is for each participant his physical and spiritual mirror on this day. I also was enchanted by the Marathon and tomorrow I´ am going to run a leg - 12 km in a relay- race on a team with the members of the music group No Name," revealed Mayor in the Historical Town Hall on Saturday evening.
Then Administration President of the Marathon Club Štefan Daňo and Race Director Branislav Koniar drew out surprisingly a special race number for František Knapík and a marathon medal which Mayor received as the first runner among record-breaking 5000 participants of the 86th International Peace Marathon already 16 hours before the start. The Saturday ceremony was finished by Mayor of the City of Košice František Knapík when the representatives of the delegations signed into the Chronicle of the City.
Mária Mračnová, President of the Slovak Athletic Association, Vice-president of the Slovak Olympians Association and a former Czechoslovakian Olympian High Jumper was among the guests attending the plaque dedication ceremony for Cierpinski, too. So she had an opportunity to meet Cierpinski after 33 years since the Olympic Games in 1976 in Montreal.
Further information on the 86th IPM see:
http://kosicemarathon.com/sk/index.php
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