The 2.5-kilometer run kicked off following a shot from a starter pistol fired by Rector prof. Krzysztof Jóźwik, who wished the runners to have a good and healthy - that is, injury-free - experience.
This sports event, organized by the TUL Sports Center, not only promoted physical activity and a healthy lifestyle, but also formed part of an information and education campaign aimed at raising public awareness of the imperative to eliminate items containing mercury from the household.
Attractive prizes were available for the winners of the run. The three fastest women and the three fastest men were awarded.
They were (in the order the winners stood on the podium):
women: Zuzanna Niciak, a student of computer science at WEEIA (time 10'30"), Aleksandra Bednarek from the Institute of Materials Science and Engineering, and Magdalena Gajek from the Institute of General and Ecological Chemistry;
and men: Łukasz Centkowski, a student of FTIMS (time 8'15"), Janusz Rogowski from the Department of Concrete Structures, and Konrad Jastrząbek from the Institute of Natural Products and Cosmetics.
Dr Ewa Brochocka, director of the Sports Center, said:
'I am pleased to see the event was successful. We had 800 individuals at the starting line, which is a considerable number. T-shirts were provided for everyone, we made sure everyone warmed up, and the awards ceremony at the finish line went without a hitch. Thank you to all those involved. Our upbeat attitude busted the clouds that spelled rain. Sunshine and joy emerged victorious.'
Cups were also awarded to the fastest female and male first-year students: Natalia Walisiak, WOiZ, and Dawid Marcinkowski, WBAIŚ.
Life Mercury Free is a green project coordinated by Lodz University of Technology. The University was awarded a grant of nearly €1.4 million from the LIFE E Program, which exclusively funds environmental protection actions. Professor Volodymyr Mosorov of the TUL's Institute of Applied Computer Science is its coordinator.
The Rector's Cup Run is a sporting event embedded in the activities of the project intended to make the average John Doe aware of how hazardous mercury is, and therefore, of the urgent need to eliminate household products that contain it.