AK Sljeme running school

Summer is slowly passing, the days are getting shorter, and a general post-vacation apathy is already hanging in the air: once again we have to survive the autumn rains, the Christmas shopping frenzy, and spring allergies until the next splashing on beaches or wandering through the mountains. In that mild fit of existential anxiety, you are surely wondering how to survive the gray days and shorten those dark, long winter evenings.
Okay, we strayed a bit into poetry and dramatics, but that happens after returning to reality... Let's get back to the topic: we have an idea on how to make your wintering significantly more interesting.
Imagine welcoming spring and the awakening of nature with a physical shape that your office colleagues will envy you for, and a change in your figure that will make your friends beg you for the secret to success.
And the secret is actually simple: you started running with us.
If this sounds like an unrealistic top-shop commercial, we don't blame you. Because, let's be realistic, every beginning IS hard, but maintaining discipline and motivation for longer than a week is even harder. That's where the crew steps in: people you run with, train with, whine on uphills, have a drink after training with, and who are going through the exact same struggles.
Running school has a bunch of benefits, and downsides there are practically none... Well, there are if you're a heavy introvert and crowds bother you, but that can also be worked on. A lot of lone wolves in our school have turned into true social butterflies, and along the way, they polished their form for a half marathon.
So, win-win-win. If there were any more wins, we'd throw them in. Here's another one — win.

And to become a true AK Sljeme Wild Boar, you first need to become a little boar…
When you start our little school, you'll get a uniform like this... don't worry, wearing it to training isn't obligatory, but we're sure you'll want to. Just as you'll want to wear it for coffee when it warms up a bit, to work, and even to formal meetings. That's not just a t-shirt, that's proof that you are members of the best running school from here to Andromeda. And when you finish your journey toward conquering your target race, you'll receive a prestigious medal.

AK Sljeme is starting a new generation of the running school and it's starting soon!
And sign-ups last throughout the entire generation because the groups are arranged so that you can always find your place under the sun. The result of all this is your happiness because you will spend an active year surrounded by wonderful people, preparing for the race you want and at the pace that suits you best. So, regardless of whether you're reading these lines on a beach or at home under the AC, this little school is open to you and invites you to join us whenever it suits you..
And yes... if after this text the idea crosses your mind – oh no chance anyone is getting me into shape so I can run a half marathon – congratulations. You have just joined the club of a large number of runners who came to our club with that exact idea and in the end nicely jogged all 21.1 km of the half.
So let's see how things work with enrollments in the AK Sljeme running school...

The first training session is scheduled for Wednesday, September 2, 2026, at 18:00, and you can enroll on that day right before training, or any other Monday, Wednesday, or Saturday after the trainings start. Other schools enroll participants in a short window and then you wait for the next generation, but we don't. You can join us whenever you make the decision to start running, and our coaches will make sure to adapt your pace and place you in the group that best suits your current (un)fitness.  The running school ends in May 2027 at the Vukovar half marathon when you'll be ready to run whatever you want (okay, not quite 100 miles of Istria), and after that, you can continue your preparations as a full member of the AK Sljeme club.
The little school is gradual, from the first workouts alternating between running and walking, through the first 30 minutes of continuous running, all the way to real, authentic long runs of 10 or 18 km right before the race itself. All of it spiced up with strength exercises, stretching, and regular warm-ups before training to make sure you get through this training process injury-free and with as little hassle as possible.
The little school is gradual, from the first workouts alternating between running and walking, through the first 30 minutes of continuous running, all the way to real, authentic long runs of 10 or 18 km right before the race itself. All of it spiced up with strength exercises, stretching, and regular warm-ups before training to make sure you get through this training process injury-free and with as little hassle as possible. And just so you know – we aren't saying all this to brag (maybe a little) than to vividly show you into what good hands you are coming if you decide to train with us – we can't guarantee you'll lose weight, and even less that you'll get ready for a half marathon because that decision lies solely on you and your regular attendance at training, but we can promise you that if you are consistent, you will have the best preparation for a half marathon or a 10k in Croatia, that you'll have a lot of fun and, most importantly, that you'll shed a tear or two when you cross the finish line of your first planned race.
All information can be provided by the head coach Silvia Šimunović Šajber. And here is her mail so feel free to contact her if you have any uncertainties regarding the running school.

So, in short:

AK SLJEME / RUNNING SCHOOL / AUTUMN 2026 GENERATION:

ENROLLMENT TIME: Before the first training, on Monday, September 2 at 17:00 (so you make it to training at 18:00) or after that before every training on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays throughout the season.

WHERE: AK Sljeme premises, next to Caffe Bar Time, Trnjanska 122, Zagreb / Location

SCHOOL PRICE: 25€ per month (payable monthly, by the 10th of the month)

COACHES:

• Silvia Šimunović Šajber (head coach)

• Katarina Žagar

• Petra Herceg

• Marko Novak

• Damir Kragić

PRICE INCLUDES:

• Minimum 3 organized training sessions per week

• Expert guidance from the coaching team

• Training plans via e-mail

• Consultations with coaches as needed

• Organized trips, running travels, and sports gatherings when the virus allows us to (costs are calculated separately)

• Great company 😊

DURATION OF THE ENTIRE PROGRAM: Until May 2027.

TRAINING SCHEDULE:

• Mondays from 18:00

• Wednesdays from 18:00

• Saturdays from 08:00

Trainings last depending on the schedule, preparation phase, participants' fitness level, and the goals they set / from 1 to (get this!) sometimes 3 hours.

TRAINING LOCATIONS:

• Sava embankment

• Maksimir forest

• Sljeme

• Wherever our legs (and sometimes a bus) take us

Yes, you can run for 3 hours if you enroll in our school!

BECAUSE...

• AK Sljeme organized the first recreational running school in these parts back in 2011.

• In 15 years, AK Sljeme has prepared hundreds of runners for half-marathon and marathon races who had never run before.

• AK Sljeme has over 300 members.

If you don't believe everything written here, feel free to come and check... in 8 months when you run 21 kilometers you will believe every word :)