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Photo credit: Timing Ljubljana / Damjan Končar

Ljubljana’s Volkswagen Marathon is a traditional running and sporting celebration. Every year the streets of the Slovenian capital are flooded by increasing crowds of runners who year after year prove that interest in this kind of recreation and socializing is in rise.

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Photo credit: Timing Ljubljana

In 2012, Timing Ljubljana decided to offer a special fair for the Marathon occasion and the ‘Running Fair EXPO’ (Sejem Tečem EXPO) was born. Already the first edition proved how this kind of event was desirable among Slovenian recreational athletes. Since then,  over 20,000 people have been visiting the fair annually and what makes it for the largest running fair in Slovenia.

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Photo credit: Timing Ljubljana / Damjan Končar

This year again, the 23rd Volkswagen Ljubljana Marathon was accompanied by the Running Fair EXPO which was for the 7th consecutive year held at the GR – Ljubljana Exhibition and Convention Centre. The fair, open to all runners and their families, athletes, fans and curious passers-by, was open between the 25th and the 28th of October 2018 and it achieved the record number of visitors: 25,000.

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Photo credit: Timing Ljubljana / Damjan Končar

WHY GR FOR THE RUNNING FAIR?

»GR – Ljubljana Exhibition and Convention Centre is quickly and easily accessible from the Kongresni Square (Kongresni Trg) were the runs are held and the Marathon’s route is passing by the GR as well. In addition, we like the excellent collaboration with the staff, their flexibility and the tidiness of the space.«

Organiser Pija Zalokar, Timing Ljubljana

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Photo credit: Timing Ljubljana / Damjan Končar

As the accompanying event to the Marathon, the Fair provided in the GR’s Foyer a spot for 20,000 runners to pick up the marathon starting numbers. The exhibition space, stretched in 1500 sq m with 45 domestic and international exhibitors, was held in the Marmorna Hall where the visitors were able to take a walk among providers of various sports brands, food supplements suppliers and other exhibitors intended for the active group of participants. In addition, the visitors were provided with a team of experts who offered free advice.

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Photo credit: Timing Ljubljana / Damjan Končar

While the Testeninka, the event which provided 5000 pasta meals for runners, was this year for the first time held in Steklena Hall, what made for, as Pija Zalokar from Timing Ljubljana noted for Kongres Magazine, »A good decision because the larger space in Steklena Hall enabled us to organise a concert which resulted in such a success that the visitors did not let it leave the stage at the end.«

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