It has also become a tradition that on the first weekend in October, apart from the KPM there is also a meeting of canoeing sports enthusiasts on the waters of the river Hornád for the Košice Boating Marathon. Thanks to the seasoned team of organizers, whole generations of canoeists love to return to Košice to match their skills during the river passage or exchange experiences afterwards. The popularity of this event has grown year on year, and so has the quality of the boats and the international range of canoeists entering it. They have even adapted their accompanying programme so that on the Sunday, well rested, they can greet the runners and in some cases compete right alongside them on the marathon course. Over the years this group of “amphibians” has included the Fotula and Bohunek brothers, Ondrej Kalina, Emil Coplák, Karol Tarcal, Jozef Gyürke,and Jozef Ivanecký. The length of the passage may not be exactly 42.195 metres, but the time needed to paddle down it is similar to that taken by an elite marathon runner to complete the course round the city streets: around 2 hours and 20 minutes.
