Only hours remain until the first events of the IRONMAN Poland weekend kick off. The first athletes have already arrived in Warsaw.
On Friday, 6 June at 23:00, the Night Run will kick off. It will be the first in a series of sporting events lasting until Sunday. That’s when the main race will take place – IRONMAN 70.3 Warsaw. Registration for the event has long been closed. Over 4,500 athletes snapped up starting packages in no time.
Undoubtedly, an important factor for triathletes is the fact that the swim segment takes place in a lake with calm waters. The bike course is flat and wide, offering comfort to competitors. It’s no surprise, then, that IRONMAN 70.3 Warsaw is so popular among international athletes.
It’s a great promotion for the city. We’ve been with IRONMAN for many years. The atmosphere during these races is fantastic. We’re glad that the people who come here not only take part in the competition but also explore the city, stay in our hotels, and enjoy our food and hospitality services.
Marcin Kędzior – Deputy Director of the Sports and Recreation Office of the Capital City of Warsaw
Sporting Giants
This year’s edition of IRONMAN 70.3 Warsaw will feature well-known Polish track and field athletes: Marek Plawgo, Marcin Lewandowski, and Paweł Januszewski. During the press conference, they emphasized that they are taking their participation seriously, although Paweł Januszewski has decided, for now, to test himself in the 5150 Triathlon Series distance.
I’m preparing for this race, and I will finish it. I’ve turned 50, and my body told me it still needs competition. I spent three years getting ready, listening to my friends, and finally decided it’s now or never. I love competition, so I let them convince me. This triathlon is pure joy for me.
Paweł Januszewski – former Polish national athlete / IRONMAN Poland ambassador
Januszewski will be competing “remotely” against Marcin Lewandowski and Marek Plawgo, who will go head-to-head on the IRONMAN 70.3 Warsaw course. Plawgo said today that they are highly motivated.
You can train in your comfort zone. You can shorten your workouts to an hour and avoid pushing yourself too hard. As former professional athletes, we’re still looking for activities that let us feel everything that comes with competition. I don’t know if Marcin will beat me or not—let it be a close race, because that’s what gives us the motivation to come back and race again.
Marek Plawgo – former Polish national athlete / IRONMAN Poland ambassador
“IRONMAN – or at Least Half”
There’s no shortage of motivation for Bartek Matusiewicz, a 27-year-old triathlete with Down syndrome. He has already completed a race at the Olympic distance, but his dream is to “become an Ironman – or at least half of one.” Bartek will compete in the half-distance race in Warsaw. If he manages to finish, he will likely be the first athlete with Down syndrome in Europe to complete this distance in an IRONMAN series event. Bartek was a guest at today’s press conference.
I have ten training sessions a week – four swim sessions, cycling twice, running three times, and one general fitness workout. Swimming is my favorite. Sport is my job. Triathlon is my life.
Bartek Matusiewicz – triathlete with Down syndrome, the first Polish athlete with Down syndrome to complete a triathlon
Extraordinary Relays
This year’s IRONMAN 70.3 Warsaw will once again feature the #ExtraordinaryTeam of Citi Handlowy. The team will include athletes representing the Polish Paralympic Committee, who will take part in the 5150 Warsaw relays alongside Citi Handlowy employees and clients. They are racing together to help improve access to sports training for children with disabilities.
Sport is our passion – a source of strength, energy, and everyday joy. We want everyone to experience it. Together with our clients and Paralympic champions, we share with children with disabilities the joy that sport brings. We are opening a world of limitless possibilities for them, so they too can feel strength and confidence, and believe that nothing is impossible.
Erik Emilsson – Citi Handlowy / Senior Relationship Manager / Corporate Finance
Seven para-athletes will compete alongside Citi Handlowy employees and clients in IRONMAN 70.3 Warsaw. These are multi-medalists of the European and World Championships and the Paralympic Games. Wearing blue shirts, you’ll see:
- Wojtek Makowski with his guide Paulina Certa – silver medalist in Rio de Janeiro – running the race segment
- Zbigniew Maciejewski – bronze medalist at the Paris Paralympic Games in the C1 individual road time trial – cycling segment
- Mateusz Wyszyński – coach of the Polish para-cycling team, who led athletes to three bronze medals at the Paris Games – cycling segment
- Alicja Giedryś – medalist of the Polish Championships for Athletes with Disabilities in the 400m freestyle and 100m butterfly, who swam across the English Channel last year – swimming segment
- Paweł Sochaj – bronze medalist of the Polish Championships – cycling segment
- Rafał Szumiec – 3rd place finisher in the Paracycling World Cup – cycling segment
- Witold Misztel – para-cyclist – cycling segment
After last year’s joint initiative of inclusive participation in IRONMAN 70.3 Warsaw, it’s impossible not to continue our presence at this event. Its atmosphere is built on mutual respect. No one is better, no one is worse. Everyone can be part of it, and creating inclusive relay teams is probably the highest level of inclusion in sport—because we all take on the same challenges together, in the same place. The fact that we also work with Citi Handlowy beyond sponsorship and partnership, building truly human relationships in such circumstances, proves that sport has many dimensions.
Łukasz Szeliga – President of the Polish Paralympic Committee
One of the para-athletes taking part in the relay is Wojtek Makowski – silver medalist from Rio de Janeiro. Wojtek, together with his guide Paulina Certa, will run the race segment.
In relays, you work together toward the final result. And that gives you an extra boost, because how I perform affects the overall outcome that others have also worked for. It’s an amazing team effort. I encourage everyone—whether able-bodied or with a disability—to give triathlon a try. Sport allows you to discover new sides of yourself.
Wojtek Makowski – Paralympian, IRONMAN Warsaw relay participant
IRONMAN 70.3 Warsaw is the “main course” of the weekend, but other sporting events promise to be just as exciting. On Sunday at 08:00, even before the IRONMAN 70.3 participants hit the water, athletes competing in the 5150 Triathlon Series will dive into Lake Zegrzyńskie. The winners of this Olympic-distance race are expected to reach the finish line at the Multimedia Fountain Park around 09:50. The “Olympic” distance has drawn a lot of interest, with 800 participants registered to start.
Please note the traffic restrictions that will be in place this weekend in Warsaw and the Nieporęt area. Details are available on the website https://infoulice.um.warszawa.pl/triatlonisci-przyjezdzaja-do-stolicy/
Drivers can also use the Ważę app, available for download from the Android and App Store. All traffic restrictions have been added to the app’s maps with their respective time frames.
HOTLINE: +48 500 261 000
The hotline will be open:
7 June: 10:00 – 20:00
8 June: 07:30 – 17:30
