Ilona Gradus in a great shape, proposal at the finish line and PLN 10 thousand for the centre for blind children in Sobieszewo – once again Star Challenge of Olivia Business Centre starts Christmas time in Pomerania.
There were surprises and unexpected turns of events. Cristina Bonacina from Italy, who was tipped as a winner in the Ultra category, had to accept the sports dominance of Ilona Gradus who went down in the history of the run for good, winning also in the Sprint category.
Participants and supporters were full of emotions from the very morning. Star Challenge runners were first at the start line. Their goal was to run through as many floors as possible within 120 minutes in the highest building in the Northern Poland – Olivia Star. Olga Sobocińska, who ran 11 laps, triumphed among women. Beata Dembińska was second and Dominika Witkowska won third place.
Among men Jacquard Jorsi from France reached 34th floor 16 times and outran Mariusz Klapenda and Łukasz Jozefiak.
The fastest woman in Sprint category was Ilona Gradus, who completed the run in 5:14, 65 minutes and left Katarzyna Butowska and Katarzyna Wróbel behind. The fastest man, Mateusz Marunowski, ran 180 metres (723 stairs) in 3:47,50 minutes. Kacper Mrowiec and Mickael Pourcelot reached the finish line just behind him.
In the Ultra category front-runners didn’t let us down. Ilona Gradus, Cristina Bonacina and Katarzyna Butowska stood on the podium. Mickael Pourcelot, who outran Paweł Zakowicz and Piotr Dembicki, was awarded with another Star Challenge statuette.
– In the Olivia Business Centre Residents Cup AirHelp team comprising Jan Meisner, Jakub Dulko and Ariadana Martines turned out to be beyond the reach of its competitors. The next places on the podium were taken by two relay teams representing Thyssenkrup. It was a fierce and neck-and-neck fight. The main prize in this year’s event was a sculpture made and handed by the artist Alicja Stańska, Grzegorz Cysewski and Miłosława Śliwińska-Skoczek together with children under the care of the centre in Sobieszewo – said Dagmara Rybicka Communication Manager in Olivia Business Centre.
We also experienced many emotional moments. There were red roses, music, champagne, confetti and proposal at the top. The participant of the Uniformed Services category – a fireman from Sobieszewo – proposed to his girlfriend. When he heard “yes”, he got a round of applause. Olivia Star Top, which is the operator of the three highest floors in Olivia Star, took care of the unique setting of the event.
– We are glad that our space creates positive aura and encourages such unique moments. Olivia Star is not only the place of business meetings, but also unforgettable moments among the closest ones – explained Krystyna Hartenberger – Pater Head of International Sales, Marketing & PR.
Iwona Kowalska (6:51) and Piotr Dembicki (4:06) took the lead in the Uniformed Services category.
Olivia Business Centre was the initiator and the organiser of the event. The combination of sports rivalry and the passion for helping people, once again under the protectorate of Towerrunning World Association, attracted participants from France, Italy, Belarus, Great Britain, Russia and Poland.
– I am really impressed with the competition in Gdańsk. I have run in many places around the world, but I must admit that Olivia Business Centre is the place where I will willingly come back next year. I’m glad that I had the chance to compete for a good cause and that my passion for running could help blind children – said Cristina Bonacina from Italy.
The runners managed to collect PLN 10 thousand for the Centre in Sobieszewo. As they emphasised at the finish line, the awareness of their goal motivated them because there were many difficult moments on the route.
– With all out heart we would like to thank for this beautiful day and much good, which we managed to bring out of people’s hearts. We hope that it’s the beginning of our joint adventure and meetings in Sobieszewo. Runners and Olivia Business Centre made a wonderful, unforgettable surprise for children and their families and collected funds are a great help for us – emphasised Sister Ida, the foundress and leader of the Centre.
The honorary patrons of the 2nd edition of Star Challenge are the Mayor of Gdańsk and the Marshal of the Pomeranian Voivodeship.
Media patronage: trojmiasto.pl, Radio Gdańsk, Together and Dziennik Bałtycki. The partners of the event: Alior Bank, Bayer, DoSportNow.com, Advertis, Bergson, MacLife, STBU Insurance Brokers, BMG Goworowski, InDreams, radio Eska, radio Złote Przeboje, gdansk.pl, Towerrunning World Association.
Organiser: Olivia Business Centre and OCR Games.
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