Banja Luka Half Marathon

From an amateur runner’s point of view: a letter to my Banja Luka

The race ended a few days ago compared with the moment I am writing this. If anyone thinks the feeling is somehow more special when you finish a half marathon somewhere else in Europe, or even the world, than in Banja Luka, they are wrong.

This could even be a kind of rating: the longer the runner’s high stays with you, the better the race was.

Beautiful, wonderful organization. Bravo, Run and More community.

If you have not run Banja Luka, try it, because you will surely come back.

This is not only a half marathon, but the whole Run&More Weekend. It includes the Tropic Bambini Marathon for the youngest, Intersport School Run, Nektar 5K Team Run, Imlek Protein 10K, Persil Color Fun Run, and the NLB Run and More community Banja Luka Half Marathon itself.

Extra pluses

Besides the fact that this city is half of my childhood and half of my personality, and that half marathon day was one of the more beautiful days (the competition among beautiful days is very strong in this case), there are also technical sides that work in its favor and invite you to come.

The course is flat, good for catching up with yourself in the second loop.

Aid stations are so frequent that you barely have time to get thirsty.

It can get warm, but Banja Luka’s linden trees do not let the heat come too close. Your only job is to enjoy and run.

On top of everything, it is an AIMS route, which means the race is officially and precisely measured by international standards. So, no lies and no tricks.

Let us share more happy days

I used the opportunity to bring both of my parents to watch my race together for the first time, and that alone made the weekend good enough for me.

My mom had come before, but for my dad it was the first time. I have often finished races on video calls with them, and the joy of that Sunday coming filled my whole body for days. I consider it a privilege to have this kind of support and the happiness of having your parents wait for you at the finish line. If at the beginning your parents do not understand why you run, be persistent, and they will love it in the end.

Sunday in Banja Luka

The day could not have been more beautiful. Sun, a great start-line atmosphere, family and friends gathered together, almost ideal temperature, although I am not the best reference because I have some kind of shield against heat, and one failed introverted attempt to record random runners answering the question: What feels harder than running?

The only flaw is that the start of the half marathon is so early that this time you have to miss the Sunday flea market, and that is completely fine.

Katarina is running again, her first Banja Luka half marathon, only this time Rade is keeping her company and together they push through to the end like royalty.

Even though I love one-loop races, I would run Banja Luka in five identical loops.

After the start, I kept asking random people what felt harder to them than running and somewhere around kilometer 10 realized I was not built for that, so I turned back to the moment.

At the beginning, I tried to calm my heart and the excitement of sharing a race with our people through streets I know by heart, except in this version even those streets were more beautiful and different.

I quickly found a rhythm good enough for high fives, hugs along the way, and greeting grandmothers in Nova Varoš. After Mejdan, one of the most beautiful neighborhoods in Banja Luka.

What can you do in one month?

Probably more than you think. I did not train in March and April beyond walking to the market and back. After signing up about thirty days before the race, I decided for the first time to test my body for health reasons, or more precisely to treat myself to a concrete plan, say goodbye to sugar, and hydrate daily like Novak Djokovic.

God knows how much I love ice cream, especially Vanilla Bourbon ice cream, and how hard it is not to finish one package in two days

I admit, this time it was harder to enjoy the thing I always talk about, which is the process, and I comforted myself with what they say: that it takes 3 weeks for a new habit to form. In this way, I tried to make up for the passive period of 2 months, and for me it did a great job, especially in this one month of active training before the race. I did not feel any heaviness, and morning runs were the easiest to handle.

How often do you praise yourself?

I followed discipline during that month, and it was not linear, but for the first time I trusted myself and honestly praised myself without needing someone else to confirm that the praise was justified.

I thanked my body and my health, and for the first time I dedicated a race completely to myself.

If I had known how good that feels, and how much the people closest to you can feel it and benefit from it too, I would have done it long ago.

Remind yourself how lucky you are

On our half marathon route you pass the temple twice, and I would single out those parts as some of my personal favorites because, especially in a half marathon, gratitude and goosebumps tend to flood you around the 18th kilometer, and that is also the moment when you pass the temple. You know you are close to the end, the endorphin rises into your throat, and if you are in a crisis, it carries you to the end. So do not worry, those struggles are sweeter than you think.

Besides gratitude, it also reminded me of something maybe even more important: that believing is the most beautiful feeling, whatever that belief may be in. Sometimes it seems to me like an underrated part, because you feel, and you and you and you feel, that only with such a foundation can we truly build everything that belongs to us.

And again, the finish is not the end

My time was solid too. At the finish, I hugged the people closest to my heart, because finally, now that I am also one of those who believe in me, I hug the people who were the first wind at my back from that place.

Even though it is hard to wish for anything more than that, it was not the end.

Banja Luka reminded me again that I do not have to go far to experience something big, so I ran a few more kilometers back with Katarina and Rade in their final kilometers, because what kind of half marathon would end at the finish line?