Community / September 2026
Korak po korak: the 2026 deafblind walking race
The second Varaždin race put deafblind participants on the city course, with access and support built into the event itself.
On 19 September 2026, the second Korak po korak kroz tamu i tišinu race brought deafblind participants back to the centre of Varaždin. The name means Step by Step Through Darkness and Silence. It was a 500-metre fast-walking race, beginning and ending at Kapucinski Square, with each participant accompanied by an interpreter, intervenor, or assistant throughout the course.
I helped organize this year's event. I also volunteered as a guide for participants during their free time and helped on the course during the race. The competition is the part everyone sees; getting people to the starting line, making their time in Varaždin workable, and keeping the course safe are parts of the same experience.
A race designed around its participants
This was an event in which deafblind people could compete under rules and support arrangements designed for them. UGSO's race information specifies walking rather than running and requires each participant to stay with their support person. The post-event HRT report and video recorded competitors walking 500 metres through Varaždin with their helpers and interpreters.
That design asks more of an organizer than marking out a route. People need to know who is guiding whom, how the group moves through the city, where help is needed on the course, and what happens before and after the walk. The official race programme also included gathering, race packs, awards, and a shared dinner. It offered hosted accommodation and local transport for eligible visiting organizations. Those details are not decoration around the race. They make participation possible for someone travelling with a support person.
What I saw from the volunteer side
My own role was practical. During participants' free time I helped guide them; during the race I helped on the track. The interpreters and intervenors stayed with competitors, doing the specialist communication work. Volunteering gave me a direct view of how many small pieces have to line up for the public part of the day to feel straightforward.
There was also time simply to be together around the square. A stop for popcorn is a small moment, but it belongs in the story of the day as much as the starting line does.
The race was initiated by UGSO Varaždin and held with TK Marathon 95, as part of the Varaždin running weekend. Participants came from Croatia and abroad. It was the second edition after the first event in September 2025. UGSO and Croatian media describe that first edition as the world's first race specifically organized for deafblind people; I would rather let that be their claim than pretend I can prove there had never been anything similar anywhere else.
For me, the strongest part of the day was that participation was the starting point for the design. The walking rules, the support person beside each competitor, the volunteers along the route, the travel arrangements, and the shared time beyond the course all supported that goal. The result was a public event in the middle of the city, not an activity hidden away from it.
The race lasts an afternoon. UGSO's work does not. Its communication support, regular gatherings, workshops, and outings continue through the year. If you want the wider picture, read what UGSO Varaždin does between its big events.
Watch HRT's report and video from the 2026 race, or see UGSO's event page and TK Marathon 95's programme.
