Spartan Olympic Torch: STG charity project

Surely all of you, or at least those who follow the goings-on among the Spartan training groups, remember the event in 2019 called the Spartan Odyssey. A shield was circulating across the Czech Republic, which individual training groups passed on to each other. The event was a huge success and brought many people together. Since that year, no similar joint event for training groups had taken place, so something had to be devised…

Veronika Krásná, coordinator of STG for the Czech Republic, dusted off the idea of a joint nationwide relay and gave it a new form - the form of a torch. Since the times of ancient Greece, it has been a symbol of sports competition, and its fire was kept alive during the Olympic Games. In the early 20th century, this symbolism was revived and before each Olympic Games, the Olympic torch is lit in a ceremony in Olympia, Greece. He then travels across the world to the place where the Olympic Games are held.

The path described above, which the Olympic torch must cover, was thus embodied in the conditions of the Spartan race held in the Czech Republic. The ceremonial lighting of the torch took place at the first race of the season (in February in Děčín), from where it set off on a journey of several thousand kilometers through the Czech cities where individual Spartan training groups operate. They pass the torch to each other under predetermined conditions – the torch can only be carried while walking or walking, it must not be carried by means of transport. Some groups treat their part of the journey as a several-day hiking trip, others set out early in the morning to cover their several tens of kilometers long route in one day. During their journey, they take photos and video of the handover, everything is then published on social networks.

The place where the torch will ceremoniously arrive in September and thus complete its journey is historically well known to the competitors. That's right, as some of you already guessed, this is Kouty nad Desnou. Those Koutys, where in winter the competitors had to crawl in an icy mountain stream under barbed wire, those Koutys, where at the steps to the upper reservoir of the Dlouhé stráne pumping station, wrapped in thermofoils, they huddled and waited to be taken to the festival, because the wind, rain and low temperature did not allow them to continue, and also those Koutys, where the one who survived the sandbag on the slope almost won, well... "almost". The symbolism of the torch is so obvious, the same applies to the place where the Spartan race returns after x years and where the joint action will be completed.

However, the purpose of the event is not only the idea of connecting individual training groups. It is primarily about helping those who need it. Individual training groups send financial donations to a transparent account. These will subsequently be donated to the non-profit organization Apropo Jičín, o.p.s. focusing on the provision of social and related services in unconstitutional conditions. Her clients are children and adults under 55 with mental, physical and combined disabilities, their families, caregivers and guardians. Donors include not only training groups, but also members of the public. Anyone can contribute in any amount.

As we want to give this non-profit organization as much as possible, we are still looking for a natural or legal person willing to pay for the kilometers run by the training groups (e.g. for every 1km = 10 CZK). The collected amount would thus increase many times over.

The torch is currently located in the north of Bohemia. Only a few training groups out of 49 will be handed over to her, and the last of them (STG Pod Pradědem) will then be ceremonially brought to Kouty. Along with the selected (and hopefully also run-up) amount, Apropo Jičín will be given a special flag on which each of the groups has written a unique motivational motto.

It is already clear that Kouty will be full of emotions in many ways, with the closing ceremony and the culmination of the event called the Spartan Olympic Torch being the icing on the cake.

If you want to participate in this charity event, you can a) send a financial donation to the transparent account 2202456507/2010, b) contact Veronika Krásná from STG Jablonec nad Nisou and offer to reimburse the kilometers driven.

AROOO!!!