AFTER the 2010 premiere of Bratislava’s Sky Run – Beh v obalkoch (Running in the Clouds) – the follow-up for 2011 was held in the inverted pyramid of the Slovak Radio building on May 20 and 21. Long-distance runners tested their abilities and endurance on the roof of the distinctive building, 40 metres above ground level. The aim was to break last year’s record for the total number of metres run in 12- and 24-hour competitions as well as to promote running in general, including its extreme form known as ultra-running.
Four Czech runners took part this year, including last year’s 100-km Czech champion, Jarda Bohdal. Three women also ran in the 12-hour discipline. Fans of running were enthralled by the unusual venue: the live broadcast audience reached via the internet exceeded 8,000 people.
A single lap around the pyramid’s roof is 226 metres. The 24-hour run started on the morning of May 20 and the 12-hour run started later that evening. The event’s organisers hope to gradually spread the idea of “running in the clouds” to other cities in Slovakia and Europe. Last autumn, a run was held on the roof of a shopping centre in the Czech Republic, Jozef Rajchl of the organising committee, told the SITA newswire.