BRATISLAVA, April 7 (Xinhua) -- The capital of Slovakia welcomed runners from all over the world to the 14th edition of the Bratislava Marathon, which saw Slawomir Gawlik of Poland win in his new personal best.

"This is only my fifth marathon ever. I've heard that Bratislava offers a fast track. My specialty are 150-kilometer long ultra-marathons, so this was good practice for me. I'm not even tired," the 35-year-old said after crossing the finish line with a smile and barely any sweat on his face, clocking a personal best of two hours 37 minutes and 17 seconds.

Large sections of the downtown area were closed off during the weekend to allow for a variety of special runs and attractions. Athletes of all ages - from toddlers to seniors - had the opportunity to compete.

The organizers succeeded in attracting a record number of runners. A total of 11,300 people took part throughout the spring weekend, thanks to a number of shorter tracks and sub-events like the History Run (offering a sightseeing tour) and "Plogging" (jogging and picking up trash along the waterfront of the river Danube).