Lately, the challenge in the running world has evolved. It’s becoming more popular to finish not just a single race, but a “circuit” of grouped events. The Abbott World Marathon Majors is the most famous global series. It now features seven iconic marathons. Meanwhile, regional circuits are gaining incredible traction.
In Europe the SuperHalfs series, a circuit of six half-marathons in European capitals is gaining huge popularity among runners. It offers a shorter distance to run compared to World Marathon Majors. Additionally, the cities where you need to run are closer together. I completed the SuperHalfs series in 2025 and wrote about it.
Beyond the international series, local circuits often showcase the highest levels of competition. Based on my experience racing across the continent, I believe Spain and Poland have the fastest runners in Europe. I use an empirical measurement to assess a race’s speed. It is the finishing time of the runner exactly in the middle of the pack (the median). In countries where running is deeply ingrained, organizers use these circuits to encourage consistent participation. This helps drive up the average speed of the field.
In Spain this circuit is called “El Circuito Nacional de Running Plátano de Canarias“. It includes exactly five premier half-marathons: Seville, Barcelona, Madrid, Valencia, and San Sebastian. You have to finish all these races, and they calculate some rankings based on your results. As a tourist I visited all these beautiful cities, but I ran only in Valencia (twice).
In Poland the circuit is called the Crown of Polish Half Marathons. The rules evolve annually. For 2026, the requirement is to finish at least 5 out of 11 designated races.
Of these 11 races five are in big cities: Warsaw, Krakow, Wroclaw, Poznan and Gdansk. All have over 12k runners at start, except for Gdansk.
Other races have tradition: The Lechit Run is the oldest Polish half marathon. Ostrów Lednicki was chosen as the starting point, from where Otto III walked to the tomb of St. Adalbert in Gniezno, Poland’s first capital. For historical context this historical pilgrimage happened in the year 1000. No, the half-marathon though did not start at that time :). It is organized continuously since 1978. In 2026 will reach is 49th edition.
At the Półmaraton Ślężański, a literal cannon blast signals the start of the race.
Wroclaw half-marathon is the main night race in Poland, starting at 10:30 PM. As I write this post, over 24 thousand people have signed up for the 2026 edition of this race! This makes it a record for participants in a long-distance run in Poland.
It is important to mention that all races are well established having at least 12 editions completed already.
If everything goes well, I plan to officially obtain the Crown of Polish Half Marathons by the end of 2026.
I am already registered for Warsaw (completed previously in 2022), Poznan, and the record-breaking Wroclaw. I will sign up for Gdansk and Krakow (which I finished in 2021 and 2022) as soon as registration opens.
It is inspiring to see such passion for running across Europe. People are starting to realize the benefits of running!
Adrian Matei's blog 