Filip Janas, an Applied Computer Science student at our Faculty, finished sixth in the 12th Tarczyński Night Wrocław Half Marathon. Crossing the finish line in 1:07:54, he was the fastest runner from Wrocław. Congratulations!

The Tarczyński Night Wrocław Half Marathon took place on 6 June through the main streets of Wrocław. Participants had to cover a distance of 21 km. Both the start and finish lines were located at Tarczyński Arena. This year, a record number of runners finished the race on the stadium pitch.

– I am very pleased with my sixth place. What made me especially happy was being the first runner from Wrocław to cross the finish line. I am also satisfied with my time. In my most optimistic scenarios, I was aiming for around 1:07, and I eventually finished in 1:07:54, which I consider a success – says Filip.

For our student, it was his debut over such a long distance. Previously, the longest race he had competed in was 10 km. As he points out, the race itself was also a memorable experience thanks to the fantastic atmosphere along the course.

– Running my first half marathon was a great experience, especially because it was my debut over such a long distance. The race was very well organized. The support from spectators along the route was incredibly helpful. From the fifth kilometre onwards, I was running alone all the way to the finish. The constant encouragement from the crowd kept me motivated to maintain my pace and give it everything I had – he adds.

As Filip explains, his result in the Wrocław half marathon was the outcome of months of intensive training. Since December, he had been training seven times a week, usually taking only one day off per month. During that period, he ran between 90 and 100 kilometres each week. As the half marathon approached, he gradually reduced his mileage while increasing the intensity of his training sessions.

– Reducing my preparation solely to this half marathon would be an oversimplification. This result is the outcome of nine years of regular running training. You could say that the road to achieving it was a marathon in itself – emphasizes Filip.

For him, the race in Wrocław marked the end of the summer season, although, as he admits, he is still looking for opportunities to compete in road races and make the most of his current form. Filip's next major goal is the Polish Cross Country Championships, which will take place at the end of November. A good result there could open the door to qualification for the European Cross Country Championships. After his successful half marathon debut, he is also planning to return to the same race next year. – I want to improve my time and fight for a place among the top three Polish runners – announces our student.

We already featured Filip Janas last year in our #JestemzWIT #JestemzPWr series after he had won the Rector's Cup Run at Wrocław University of Science and Technology for two consecutive years.

Filip is interested in software development, particularly mobile application development. However, computer science is only one of his passions — the other is sport, which, as he says, has been part of his life for as long as he can remember.

Since our previous interview, Filip has added several more achievements to his impressive record, including a bronze medal at the Polish Athletics Championships in the U23 10 km race, a gold medal at the Polish Academic Athletics Championships in the 3 km race, and a fourth-place finish at the Polish U23 Championships over 5 km.

The photos and videos used in this article come from the athlete's private collection and from official materials provided by the organizers of the half marathon.