Two Course Records and a Participation Record Broken at Valga Valka City Run

Altogether, over 1100 running enthusiasts took part in the children's runs and the 5 km and 10 km distances—almost twice as many as last year. In the 5 km race, Indrek Tobreluts set a new course record by more than a minute (00:15:27), followed by Johannes Laur (00:16:04) and Latvian runner Daniils Vakulics (00:18:03). In the women’s category, the victory went to Latvia for the second year in a row: the winner was Mara Caure with a time of 00:18:15. Second place went to Bianka Uhtjärv (00:19:56), and third to Karmela Kõiv (00:20:09).
 

In the 10 km race, all podium positions went to Estonia. Among the men, last year’s winner Karel Hussar broke the course record, beating Olavi Allase by 11 seconds (time: 00:31:12). Allase admitted he had hoped to run under 31 minutes: “The course was otherwise enjoyable, but the second half had some surprisingly tough climbs – I lost pace at a few difficult spots near the end.” The surprise climbs were also mentioned by women’s winner Helen Bell (00:36:15), who missed the course record by just four seconds: “I hadn’t run here before, and in the second half my pace really dropped. If I’d known the record was so within reach, I might’ve pushed harder,” laughed Bell.
 

In the 10 km men’s race, second place went to Aleksandr Kuleshov (00:33:31), and third to former biathlete Raido Ränkel (00:33:39). Among the women, Hanka Mühlberg placed second (00:38:17), and biathlete Tuuli Tomingas took bronze with 00:38:55. Tuuli only decided to compete on Thursday: “I saw the weather forecast looked nice and thought it would be fun to do something. Right now, after the season, I’m really not in shape, so it didn’t feel great to run,” said Tomingas, who plans to take part in the Võhandu Marathon next weekend.
 

Organizers Very Pleased with the Event

Margus Lepik, board member of Triatloniakadeemia, said after the race that the event was a great success: “The number of participants was nearly twice that of last year – thanks in part to our inclusion in the Rimi Estonian City Run series and, of course, the warm weather. We also hope that good word-of-mouth about Valga Valka City Run has spread more widely among running enthusiasts in our second year,” Lepik added.
 

Partnership with Värska Originaal Announced On-Site

Before the main race starts, a new partnership was announced with Värska Originaal, who will serve as the official beverage partner for both Triathlon Academy events and IRONMAN Tallinn this season. The agreement was signed by Margus Lepik on behalf of the Triathlon Academy and IRONMAN Estonia, and by Urmas Jõgeva, chairman of the board of Värska Originaal. Both parties expressed excitement and confidence in a successful collaboration.
 

In total, over 1100 participants competed across all distances, with the event powered by Utilitas. The next Triathlon Academy race will take place in Paide, marking the start of the triathlon season. The next running event will be held on September 27–28, during the 43rd Viking Window Paide-Türi Rahvajooks.
 

More details about the Triathlon Academy calendar can be found at triatloniakadeemia.ee.
 

Preliminary results for the Valga Valka City Run:
https://www.racetecresults.com/results.aspx?CId=16573&RId=576