1963 meters — the year of the last Cursed Soldier’s death
The race distance is not accidental. 1963 meters symbolize the year of death of Józef Franczak nom de guerre “Lalek” — the last Cursed Soldier, who after World War II did not lay down his arms and fought against the communist regime until 1963, when he was shot by the SB.
The Cursed Soldiers were Polish partisans who, after 1945, refused to recognize Soviet domination over Poland. Many of them were murdered, tortured, or sentenced in show trials. Their graves remained unmarked for decades. Only after 1989 did Poland begin to restore their rightful memory.
Who ran? Girl Scouts, veterans, Polish schools
The race took place under the patronage of the Consul General of the Republic of Poland in New York Mateusz Sakowicz, and the main sponsor was the Polish & Slavic Federal Credit Union (PSFCU).
Among those at the start were Consul of the Republic of Poland Krzysztof Płaski, members of the Polish Army Veterans Association in America (Post No. 119 from Hartford, Connecticut), and Girl Scouts from the Podhale Troop. But the largest group consisted of students and teachers from eight Polish supplementary schools:
- Polish Saturday School at St. Cyril and Methodius Parish
- Henryk Sienkiewicz Polish School
- Gen. K. Pułaski Polish School
- St. Vincent Pallotti Polish School
- Maria Konopnicka Polish School
- Polish School at the Consulate General of the Republic of Poland in New York
- John Paul II School of Polish Language and Culture
- St. Faustina Polish School
After the main race, the youngest participants enthusiastically completed a 500-meter distance.
Results of the “Tropem Wilczym” 2026 race
Women: 1. Julia Golec, 2. Katarzyna Piekut, 3. Lena Olk
Men: 1. Tomasz Wawrzyniak, 2. Paweł Myśliwiec, 3. Adam Golec
Why is this important — right now?
The “Tropem Wilczym” race is not just a sporting event. At a time when America is conducting military operations in the Middle East, and the Polish Minister of Defense is meeting with President Trump at the White House — the story of the Cursed Soldiers reminds us what it means to fight for freedom when the whole world tells you to surrender.
For Polish-American children running in Forest Park in Queens, it’s a history lesson they won’t find in any American textbook. It’s a lesson that only Polish schools, Polish parents, and the Polish community in America can give them.
The organizer of the race is the Józef Piłsudski Institute of America.
Voice of Polonia in the USA — poland.us. Does your child attend a Polish-American school? Check the catalog of Polish supplementary schools in the USA, page 152, at www.pol.us
