The marathon in Košice came to existence thanks to zeal and enthusiasm of its founders in 1924. It took place immediately after their arrival from the Olympic Games in Paris. From this moment we are witnesses to continuous effort of lots of generations of organisers recognised also by the Association of International Marathons and Distance Races by awarding the official title: “The Oldest Marathon in Europe”.
During its rich history, ten thousands of sportsmen from the entire world including such Olympic champions as Juan Carlos Zabala, Abebe Bikila, Waldemar Cierpinski, Mamo Wolde and lots of other great athletes participated in the International Peace Marathon.  Names of those who won in Košice are inscribed forever in bronze under the historical inscription Nenikhkamen − We won on a pylon of the marathon runner sculpture, representing a unique symbol of the Košice marathon.
The IAAF World Half Marathon Championship held in Košice in 1997, assessed by the International Association of Athletic Federations as the best one in its history, was a great success in the field of sport and diplomacy, as well. Holding of the 12th World Congress of the Association of International Marathons and Distance Races in Košice in 1999 received identical appreciation.
Being the most significant athletic Slovak event, the International Peace Marathon in Košice is a traditional sport and social occasion drawing attention of people around the world for nine decades and representing ability, invention and determination of those who founded it and those who did not ever let this noble mission and idea perish. 

Ján Dvonč