100 Marathon Club

In Memoriam: Barbara Szlachetka - born 17.05.1956 died 24.11.2005
Basia Szlachetka, Club member no 189, died at the age of 49 on 24th November 2005 at home in Hamburg after a year
and a half fighting cancer. She was looked after devotedly by Christian Hottas throughout her illness.
In the autumn of 1997 whilst working in Germany to provide for her family in Poland she saw a marathon on the TV.
Without any training she ran a half marathon, then on 15.11.1997 her first Marathon. Her first Ultra she ran just four
weeks later. She completed her 100 marathons in less than two years (1 y 11 m 24 d).
Her achievements in her short running career were remarkable.
She specialised in track, indoor and road races from 12 to 72 hours in which she held all Polish national records (total,
road, indoor & track) as well as the European record 48 hour on road and from 2000 to 2001 the W40 age group record
48 hours indoor. She represented her country, Poland, at 24-hours. She won bronze medals at the 48-hour World
Championships 2000 and World Cup 2001.
In June 1998, still in her first full Marathon year, she became for the first time German W40 age group champion over 24
hours. In 1999 she ran her first 48-hour and achieved her first Polish record (at that time 251 km). She also achieved
Polish records over 12 hours, 24 hours and 72 hours on various surfaces. All those records have not been beaten. She
became International German champion over 24 hours and European record holder over 48 hours on the road in 2003.
In the year 2000, less than three years after her Marathon debut, she became a member of the official Polish national
team and represented her country at 24-hours in the European championships in 2000, 2001 and 2003 as well as the
world championships in 2001 and 2003.
She won bronze medals in the IAU 48 Hours World Championship indoor 2000 (284,053 km, at the time a W40 world
record) and the IAU 48 Hours World Cup indoor 2001.
In Spartathlon 2003 at her first attempt she finished third woman and, behind two Japanese, as best European in
31:50:23.
In July 2004, few days before a 48-hour race in Cologne, she went with acute stomach pain to hospital. An advanced
cancer was diagnosed. Despite approximately 50 chemotherapy sessions and other treatments she still ran up to July
2005 24 Marathons and three Ultras "just for fun”.
Altogether she ran 279 marathons and 57 ultras, 336 in total.
Basia was a devoted mother to two children, Katarzyna and Krzystof. She was always full of fun, always ready for a good
time out with her friends. She ran several races in the UK and Ireland. In 2000 she was one of the first female finishers of
the Grand Union Canal 145 Miles Trail Race from Birmingham to London, running more than 50 % of that distance with
terrible blisters. She was first woman in the 100 Club’s Greenwich Foot Tunnel Centenary Marathon in 2002.
She will be missed.
A fund has been set up to pay for her two children’s further education. If anyone wishes to contribute please send to Peter
Graham who will pass on to the trustees.
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