The Ljubljana Marathon is the largest running event in Slovenia, organized annually since 1996 by the City of Ljubljana and implemented by the Timing Ljubljana Association. It takes place every year on the third weekend in October. The main event is the Heineken 0.0 Marathon (42 km), and there are also the Generali ZAME Half Marathon (21 km), the Garmin Run 10 km, all on Sunday. The Saturday program is intended for younger people: preschoolers, School Runs (for students and high school students), and a charity run. From 2024, the general sponsor is NLB d.d.
History
October 27, 1996, was not an ordinary day for Ljubljana. This actually only became apparent years later, but that day a seed was sown that successfully sprouted and began to grow more than anyone could have imagined. Those who had been working for it for several years knew the role of marathon events in large cities and therefore could imagine that the Ljubljana Marathon could eventually grow into something bigger. On that beautiful Sunday morning, the streets of Ljubljana were first taken over by runners, 673 in total. In 2024, a total of 21,242 runners participated in the NLB Ljubljana Marathon.
The largest was the Ljubljana Marathon in 2015, when a total of 24,372 runners ran.
The start is on Slovenska cesta near Figovec (Trg Ajdovščina), all routes are circular (in one circle), flat, and the finish is at Kongresni trg.
Other races
In addition to the marathon, a half marathon (21.098 km (13.110 mi)), a 10K run, a fun run (3.150 km (1.957 mi)), and a free run for kids (200 m (660 ft)) are organised.[3][4][5] A number of races of different lengths for schoolchildren of different ages are also held.[3]
^Levy Matebo Omari would finish 1st with a course record (unofficial 2:07:40) but was misled by an official TV-car at 40 km and had to run an extra distance of around 450 m [9]