The first day of the Energa Gdańsk Marathon 2026 is behind us! Saturday, April 18th, proved that running in the “City of Freedom” is a sport for absolutely everyone – from one-year-olds to triathletes seeking fitness in a fast five-kilometer race. The Polsat Plus Arena Gdańsk stadium became the heart of the sporting excitement, which will continue until tomorrow’s finale of the royal distance.
Junior Day: Not Just Results, But Healthy Habits
From 4:30 PM, the youngest took over the stadium. Hundreds of children and young people (ages 3-15) gathered for the 200-, 500-, and 1000-meter races. Although their faces showed immense concentration and ambition, the result was secondary in these races.
The idea was to instill good health habits in children from a young age and show them that sport is fun. As Natalia Czaniecka, whose 9-year-old twins have accompanied their parents to competitions for years, notes: ‘The children see it, soak it up, and start to get excited themselves. This makes the logistics much easier for us because we don’t have to convince them to do anything—they simply follow our example and take off’. The young runner, running to the same professional finish line as the adults, built his athletic confidence today.
Czaniecka Piątka: From pasta production to sports personal bests
The evening belonged to the participants of the Czaniecka Piątka (Czaniecka Five). This race allows you to experience the atmosphere of a great marathon in a nutshell. The starting line included the ‘positive freaks’ from Czaniecki Makaron, led by its owners, for whom sport and business are interconnected.
Patryk Czaniecki, who recently broke 3:15 in the marathon in Barcelona, chose the 5k distance this time to wisely dose his training before triathlons. ‘Sports are incredibly mentally stimulating, which translates into more relaxed work. During training, you can reflect on many things, ‘work through’ problems in your head, and then return to the office with a fresh perspective’, he emphasizes.
For the Czaniecki family, participating in the Gdańsk race was a natural choice. As pasta producers (using 300,000 eggs a day!), they know best that without a good “carbo-load,” results are impossible. ‘Pasta is the best meal before the race. We’ve perfectly matched our industry to our passions’, adds Natalia Czaniecka with a smile.
A route full of symbols and history
Saturday’s runs were the perfect way to warm up the atmosphere. As event director Adam Greczyło points out, this year’s marathon is not just about sport, but also a history lesson: ‘Each element celebrates outstanding Gdańsk residents, and their values are linked to zones along the route’.
The atmosphere at Polsat Plus Arena, the joint warm-up with Zdrofit and the finish inside the ‘amber’ stadium made Czaniecka Piątka the most beautiful moment of the season for many.
The fastest juniors and 5km runners
Today we celebrated the health of our juniors and their speed in the 5k. Among the children, the fastest runners were Julia Wlazło (:39) and Leon Kotłowski (:41) in the 200m, Maciej Jaros (1:51) and Nadia Wasiluk (1:59) in the 500m, and Jakub Kurowski (3:35) and Helena Nowicka (4:09) in the 1000m. The Czaniecka Five culminated in a competitive finish, with Mateusz Jankowski (16:03) the fastest man and Agnieszka Kujach (18:10) the fastest woman.
The Czanieck Five
Men
- Mateusz Jankowski (Elbląg) – 16:03
- Kamil Szymanek (Piła) – 16:17
- Bartosz Banach (Gdańsk) – 16:27
Women
- Agnieszka Kujach (Gdańsk) – 18:08
- Natalia Krupińska (Gdańsk) – 18:09
- Julia Mesjasz (Gdynia) – 18:35
What lies ahead?
Tomorrow, at 9:00 a.m. sharp, Gdańsk will become the arena for a royal-distance battle. Will the marathon runners follow in the footsteps of the Czaniecki company owners and set new personal bests? We’ll find out soon!
Live results available on the website.
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