June 04, 2021

Russia Goes Running


Russia Goes Running
The St. Petersburg race started in Palace Square, the "very heart of the city."

The whole country went running on Sunday, May 30, with a simultaneous half-marathon in 85 cities. With more than 150,000 participants, ZaBeg (ForRunning or Race) claims to be the world's largest synchronized race.

The race was a half-marathon for "pros" (21.1 kilometers; 13.1 miles), but runners could choose more reasonable distances of one ("junior"), five ("newcomer"), or ten ("amateur") kilometers (0.6, 3.1, or 6.2 miles).

Many competitors ran in yellow "ONE RUN" (in English) t-shirts.

Cities competed for the title of "runningest city" – based on the ratio of runners to the total population of the city, the average running speed, and the average distance. In order for a city to participate in the race "offline," it had to register at least 100 runners first.

This is the race's fifth year. Last year, with "only" 64 cities, Russia broke the Guinness Book of Records record held by the United States for the largest number of cities synchronously running. All Russians started the dash at 9:00 am Moscow time. That must have been fun for Chukotkans.

The organizers pointed out that, in the past, races had to have big-name runners to get people to watch. Now, the spectacle is enough due to the efforts of the "League of Heroes" to enhance sports consumption and the increasing popularity of healthy living.

It is not only lifestyles that are changing. After the race, organizers will allocate 500,000 rubles to tree planting and forest restoration in Russia.

The winning man was Andrei Leiman with a half-marathon time of 1 hour, 7 minutes, 26.3 seconds. The winning woman was Anna Garbar, whose time was apparently not worth sharing.

And yes, everybody got a medal just for participating (including the author). Soviet sports commandants are rolling over in their graves.

St. Petersburg race
St. Petersburg's race went past the Peter-Paul Fortress and Artillery Museum. Quite a scenic route! 

 

You Might Also Like

Why Russians Don't Run
  • September 01, 2013

Why Russians Don't Run

A tale of two long distance road races – Russia’s oldest and its most prestigious – and what they tell us about the state of running and fitness in Russia.
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of Our Books

Life Stories: Original Fiction By Russian Authors

Life Stories: Original Fiction By Russian Authors

The Life Stories collection is a nice introduction to contemporary Russian fiction: many of the 19 authors featured here have won major Russian literary prizes and/or become bestsellers. These are life-affirming stories of love, family, hope, rebirth, mystery and imagination, masterfully translated by some of the best Russian-English translators working today. The selections reassert the power of Russian literature to affect readers of all cultures in profound and lasting ways. Best of all, 100% of the profits from the sale of this book are going to benefit Russian hospice—not-for-profit care for fellow human beings who are nearing the end of their own life stories.
Davai! The Russians and Their Vodka

Davai! The Russians and Their Vodka

In this comprehensive, quixotic and addictive book, Edwin Trommelen explores all facets of the Russian obsession with vodka. Peering chiefly through the lenses of history and literature, Trommelen offers up an appropriately complex, rich and bittersweet portrait, based on great respect for Russian culture.
Murder and the Muse

Murder and the Muse

KGB Chief Andropov has tapped Matyushkin to solve a brazen jewel heist from Picasso’s wife at the posh Metropole Hotel. But when the case bleeds over into murder, machinations, and international intrigue, not everyone is eager to see where the clues might lead.
Turgenev Bilingual

Turgenev Bilingual

A sampling of Ivan Turgenev's masterful short stories, plays, novellas and novels. Bilingual, with English and accented Russian texts running side by side on adjoining pages.
A Taste of Chekhov

A Taste of Chekhov

This compact volume is an introduction to the works of Chekhov the master storyteller, via nine stories spanning the last twenty years of his life.
93 Untranslatable Russian Words

93 Untranslatable Russian Words

Every language has concepts, ideas, words and idioms that are nearly impossible to translate into another language. This book looks at nearly 100 such Russian words and offers paths to their understanding and translation by way of examples from literature and everyday life. Difficult to translate words and concepts are introduced with dictionary definitions, then elucidated with citations from literature, speech and prose, helping the student of Russian comprehend the word/concept in context.
Okudzhava Bilingual

Okudzhava Bilingual

Poems, songs and autobiographical sketches by Bulat Okudzhava, the king of the Russian bards. 
Driving Down Russia's Spine

Driving Down Russia's Spine

The story of the epic Spine of Russia trip, intertwining fascinating subject profiles with digressions into historical and cultural themes relevant to understanding modern Russia. 
The Frogs Who Begged for a Tsar (bilingual)

The Frogs Who Begged for a Tsar (bilingual)

The fables of Ivan Krylov are rich fonts of Russian cultural wisdom and experience – reading and understanding them is vital to grasping the Russian worldview. This new edition of 62 of Krylov’s tales presents them side-by-side in English and Russian. The wonderfully lyrical translations by Lydia Razran Stone are accompanied by original, whimsical color illustrations by Katya Korobkina.

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955