Smart Atletic, an association that promotes fitness

Smart Atletic is an association that promotes fitness for all people and all seasons. Be it running up the steps of the tallest building in Bucharest or the best tracks to jog this winter, the people at Smart Atletic are the best trainers.

Ana-Maria Cononovici, 04.01.2015, 14:29

Smart Atletic is an association that promotes fitness for all people and all seasons. Be it running up the steps of the tallest building in Bucharest or the best tracks to jog this winter, the people at Smart Atletic are the best trainers.

This trend started around 2009, and there is a huge difference between the number of people jogging in 2009, one or two thousand people, and the number of people who take part now in sports events, around 20,000, said our interlocutor, Vlad Stoica, head of the Smart Atletic sports club:

Vlad Stoica: “We may be the most active in event organizing, we organize triathlons, for instance, and this year we held for the first time an international level European cup, a competition for professionals. In parallel we also held an amateur triathlon, which now has one thousand participants. Together with the Bucharest Running Club, we organize the Bucharest Marathon. We also organize an original up running competition, running up the stairs of Sky Tower, the tallest building in Bucharest, which this year is at its second edition, gathering almost 700 participants. Our inspiration comes from western countries, in this case what we saw on the Internet, in New York, where they held a marathon in the tallest building of the city. We thought it would be great to have a similar event, if we could find a building tall enough. Meanwhile, such a building has been erected, Sky Tower, 50 stories tall, and our moment was at hand.”

For skeptics who wonder why people would gather to run up flights of stairs, Vlad Stoica went into some details: “I think it is accessible for people working in corporate positions, it doesn’t take long, it’s less than an hour, but it is very intense, and offers great satisfaction once you cross the finish line. This first edition was a great success. We held it in October. The system is very simple, it is timed individually, and the ranking goes by timing. We have a start area, where people can warm up, using jogging strips or our trainers’ programs, and once the competition starts, the queue is very well organized, the start is three at a time, and when people cross the finish line, there’s applause, some get medals, and we have an area where they can rest and socialize. The building allows for this, because on the last story there is a large social area with a superb view, where you can have a meal.”

The only problem facing the organizers is the limit on the number of participants, which cannot be larger than 700, our interlocutor told us.

The cold season does not seem to be an impediment for the joggers, and so we asked Vlad Stoica about this winter’s events: “We continue exercising. Now, in December, with the Healthy Living Association, we organized the Baneasa Trail Run, a jog through the Baneasa forest, where the number of participants was limited to 750, and was sold out in a few days. So yes, we do have winter sports. In January we will hold an indoor triathlon, in a very large health club in Bucharest, and in February we will have an outdoor one, with atypical order of trials, first running, then cycling, with swimming at the end, in the Izvorani Olympic pool with ten lanes, and seats for spectators.”

These events are not dedicated exclusively to sports. Beyond trying their hand at athletic events, they also aim to support perseverance, healthy lifestyles, and health in general.

We asked Vlad Stoica to tell us about the participants that impressed him most, and we found out that he has quite a long list: “I would start with a 73 year-old gentleman, who is in better shape than most young people, who took part in the Mamaia Swimming Marathon, in the 5 km trial, and this year we were amazed by how modest he is, given his mental and physical health. Another participant who impressed me was His Royal Highness Prince Nicolae of Romania, who took part in the triathlon this year, setting a personal example in terms of fitness.”