Several thousand runners on Thursday hit the streets of Warsaw to honour an 18th-century Polish constitution that was the first modern set of laws of its kind in Europe and the second worldwide.

The annual May 3rd Constitution Run in the Polish capital was held for the 28th time to celebrate the historic constitution which the country’s legislators adopted 227 years ago.

The 5-kilometre route led around the city’s landmark Royal Łazienki Park and close to sites related to Poland's last monarch, King Stanisław August Poniatowski, who inspired work on the milestone constitution.

Some 5,000 runners crossed the finishing line in hot weather to collect their race medals, the PAP news agency reported.

The May 3rd Constitution Run is the first in a series of three major patriotic runs in Warsaw that celebrate key events from the nation’s history every year. The other two are the Warsaw Uprising Run, which honours the revolt that broke out in the Polish capital against the occupying Nazi Germans on August 1, 1944, and the Independence Run, which celebrates the restoration of the country’s independence on November 11, 1918.

Around 30,000 runners take part in these three events every year, according to public broadcaster Polish Radio’s IAR news agency.

(gs/pk)

Source: PAP/IAR