Prague International Marathon SPOL. S R.O. announces the winner of it's PIM Women's Challenge, 2010
Prague International Marathon spol. s r.o. (“PIM”) has officially
announced the winner of its PIM Women´s Challenge, 2010, a project initiated by PIM to
attract and motivate more women to become fit and to incorporate running as part of a
healthy lifestyle. Last week, the winner, Pavlina Folovska, received her main prize, which was
generously offered by Volkswagen, the rental of a compact SUV Volkswagen „Tiguan“,
branded “Winner of the PIM Women’s Challenge 2010“, for the rest of 2010.
Pavlina finished her chosen challenge, the Volkswagen Prague Marathon in 4:08, an
improvement of more than 1 hour (5:15) in 2009. The organizers were impressed with her
commitment to the work that she put in with her coach, the famous ultra marathon runner,
Milos Skorpil, as well as her dedication in spreading the idea of the challenge amongst her
work colleagues, attracting some 60 people to start running regularly and to take part in one
of the races.
Commenting on her experience, Pavlina said: “A key success factor in my achieving this challenge was the incredible professional
support of my coaching team. I am still working with them to prepare for my next
goal: to climb the Himalayas.”
Pavlina is ready to help other women to start running by becoming an Ambassador for the
PIM Women´s Challenge, 2011. The registrations for this challenge have been open since
July 1, and this year PIM has introduced a few novelties in the competitive part of the
Challenge. Nearly 100 women have already applied to take part in the selection process and
the opportunity to be chosen amongst the monitored women for next year’s races.
Any woman, irrespective of age, occupation, fitness level and residence can join the PIM
women’s community - Level 1 – by registering for the Hervis Prague Half Marathon or the
Volkswagen Prague Marathon (as individual, relay, or team). These women will receive
regular tips and training advice. Registration for Level 2 is open to any female resident of
the Czech Republic, but the possibility of being selected as one of the monitored women is
dependent on their taking part in the adidas Women’s Race 5 km, which will take place
during the Tesco Prague Grand Prix on September 11th, 2010. Participation in this race
serves as the first evaluation of the women eligible to be selected for Level 2 of next year’s
challenge. Amongst the novelties for this season are four categories for Level 2, which
include: (1) “The desperate housewives” (non-sporty), (2) “The notorious beginners”, (3)
“The weekend sportswomen”, and (4) “The fit women” (regularly exercising). For each
category, the committee will select 5 women who will be monitored by a team of coaches led
by Vanda Kaderabkova-Brezinova and Milos Skorpil and will undergo fitness and medical
tests provided by experts at sportvital.cz. Their stories will be shared with the media and
public. Many special prizes and giveaways from partners of the project will be awarded to all
women participating in the Challenge.
Pavlina was not the only prize winner in 2010; also receiving an award was Anna Ryvova
who was voted the most disciplined girl in the Challenge by writing her regular diaries and
taking part in the reunions on a regular basis. Her prize was a romantic weekend at the
Hilton Prague, generously donated by Hilton Prague Hotels.
The first season of the PIM Women´s Challenge successfully demonstrated the increasing
popularity of running in the Czech Republic with more than 700 women taking part in the
Challenge and an overall increase of 49 % in the numbers of women taking part so far in
this year’s races. The concept of the PIM Women’s Challenge is part of PIM´s ongoing
commitment to promote regular running as part of a healthy lifestyle.
For more information and registration, please visit: www.praguemarathon.com.
Please note the upcoming races:
TESCO Prague Grand Prix, Sept. 11th, 2010
- adidas Women´s Race 5 km
- METRO Men´s Race 10 km
- Tesco Run for Life 3.8 km
