The Running Festival has joined the elite group of the biggest races in the world. It has gained membership in AIMS -Association of International Marathons and Distance Races. The main goal of the association is to develop and promote distance races all over the world. The association was established in 1982 and today in more than 90 countries in the world it associates nearly 300 runs, including the marathons in Boston, Paris, Rome, Amsterdam, Berlin and Tokyo, among others. Its founding fathers, the organizers of the biggest races, regarded that joint action would be the best method for promoting running and mass races. Among Polish races that gained membership in AIMS are the events in Poznan, Krakow, Bydgoszcz and Pila, among others.
The President of AIMS, Paco Borao, already last year agreed to be the Ambassador of the Running Festival. In his welcoming letter he wrote:
"I'm very pleased to accept the invitation to become the Ambassador of the Running Festival of the Economic Forum in Krynica in June 2010. It is a great honour for me and the organization I represent: The Association of International Marathons and Distance Races - AIMS and the Association of Runs in Valencia.
In recent years we have observed all over the world considerably increased interest in participation in street races and marathons. It is so because running offers numerous benefits. It is healthy, inexpensive, and pleasurable, it can be exercised by everyone, and in the same time it offers a great personal satisfaction. Thanks to this sport millions of people all over the world, beginning with the youngest generations and ending with the elderly, run over various distances improving their mental and physical condition.
The initiatives such as the Running Festival are a perfect promotion of running, which is fully deserved by this form of activity. It encourages everyone in any place in the world to enjoy sport, and especially running in marathons - the greatest and the oldest event in the Olympic Games.
The main goal of AIMS - Association of International Marathons and Distance Races is development and promotion of distance racing all over the world. We welcome the Running Festival in Poland and thank for organizing an international event, which has actively contributed to the idea of running in all continents."