Pushing our limits: Peace Marathon 2023
This time we took a slightly unusual approach to team building and combined it with the 100th International Peace Marathon in Košice.
Relay at the Košice Peace Marathon
This time we took a slightly unusual approach to team building and combined it with the 100th International Peace Marathon in Košice. Four of our colleagues ran the relay, and it was a big challenge.
We signed up well in advance to make sure we got a place. The marathon is in high demand, and since we'd never taken part in anything like it before, we wanted time to prepare. At first everything went fairly smoothly: four volunteers signed up to run the relay, and we also agreed on a team-building trip to Košice at the same time.
So everyone trained hard, and we trained along with them. We set up a Slack channel where we regularly posted to motivate each other to keep moving, and it worked pretty well. Then, a week before the marathon, things started to happen. Two of our runners had to pull out. We tried to persuade someone from the team to run those legs, but nobody had any running experience, let alone over 10 km.
It looked as though we wouldn't run after all. But at the last minute our colleagues Andrej and Palo plucked up the courage to sign up, with about seven days to prepare. We went in with the attitude of seeing how it went and giving it a try. The relay went beyond our expectations: everyone finished their leg in an excellent time, and all four took home a lovely medal to remember it by. Despite having no experience of anything like it, they really did push their limits and put in a great performance. They rose to the challenge. The guys enjoyed it so much that they might sign up for the half marathon next year, so we'll see. We'll gladly back them.
We enjoyed our time together too
Alongside the marathon, we also had a proper team-building programme. We set aside time at the start for team matters, beginning with a marketing presentation. That led into an interesting, lively discussion about how we work as a team, and we came up with ways to make our work even more efficient.
An evening full of flavour
In the evening we went into town and visited La Hacienda, which we definitely recommend if you're ever in Košice. A lovely setting, excellent food and even photo props, which we had to use straight away. Then we moved on to the main event: a specially prepared shisha tasting, paired with a lemonade tasting. We also heard a talk on preparing water pipes, choosing tobacco and the right bowl, and the various materials they're made from.
We even had our own tasting menu. It was all arranged by our colleague Peťo, who wanted to show us his favourite place in Košice, Absolem. We all agreed it has our full approval.
Off to the football
The sporting experiences didn't end with the marathon: we also went to watch our colleague Boris play a football match. We soaked up the local atmosphere and cheered him on. It was a great experience, and we're glad we got to see Boris in action.
Breakfast instead of stand-up
On Monday morning, instead of our usual stand-up, we enjoyed a breakfast Peťo made for us, and we still had time for a round of mini golf before heading off. Thank you to our Košice colleagues for their hospitality, and to the whole team for a great time together. We're looking forward to the next get-together.
