Run “Vinnytsia Half Marathon” planned last year, but it didn't happen as expected. Registration had to be postponed for one year. But still, I was lucky enough to realize my dream and run through the streets Vinnytsia, a city that has been recognized for several years in a row the best city to live in in Ukraine.
These competitions interested me, first of all, in the fact that they are held in the very heart of Ukraine, in one of its historical and geographical centers - in Podilla. I spent almost all of my childhood and youth in this region, but in Khmelnytskyi. And Vinnytsia became the city where I went on my first trip solo travel in the distant year 2000. Therefore, we can say that "Vinnytsia Half Marathon" is my first home start. And Vinnytsia has an interesting history. It was here that the defense of Vinnytsia Castle took place during the National Liberation War of 1648-1657, when the 3,000-strong Cossack regiment under the leadership of Colonel Ivan Bohun completely defeated the 20,000-strong Polish army, and during the Ukrainian Revolution of 1918-1920, Vinnytsia was the capital for one month of the Ukrainian People's Republic.
Registration
To register for participation in Vinnytsia Half Marathon it was necessary to register on the main website of the half marathon run.vn.ua and choose one of the two distances proposed by the organizers, the main one - 21 kilometers and the companion distance - 10 kilometers. During registration, each participant had to pay a registration fee, the amount of which depends on the chosen discipline.
Half marathon route in Vinnytsia is a well-paved track consisting of two circles of 10 kilometers each and passing through the central streets of the city. In addition, the organizers provided 8 hydration points on the route, where each participant had the opportunity to refresh a little and replenish water reserves.
Run
I arrived in Vinnytsia a day before the start in order to receive my start package with my own number for participating in the half-marathon. My Saturday morning started from the platform of the Kyiv railway station, from where I left by train to meet the on-duty running adventures and to continue acquaintance with half marathons of Ukraine.
Upon arrival in Vinnytsia, I immediately went to the starting town, which was located on the territory of the Park named after Leontovich. Where was he supposed to get his starter pack there, by showing insurance (you could get it on the spot) or a medical certificate and documents confirming your identity. After that I decided a little walk along cozy streets Vinnytsia waiting for Sunday morning and another running adventure.
All the most interesting began at 8:00 on Sunday. It was at that time that the participants of two distances started at once, at a distance of 21 and 10 kilometers, and together with this, another start of the "Vinnytsia Half Marathon" was opened.
It is worth noting right away that the route of the half marathon was quite interesting. It passed through the streets of the city and partly through the local Forest Park. Its main feature is a large number of ascents and descents, albeit with a slight height gain (the maximum gain was 298 meters). It made running more interesting and exciting.
For me, the first half of the "Vinnytsia Half Marathon" went well. The first 6 miles of the distance were covered in 48 minutes. Since the half-marathon started early in the morning, it was quite comfortable to run, so I mostly skipped the hydration points on the first half of the half-marathon, preferring mainly moisturizing sponges on this stretch. As for the second part of the half marathon, for which I spent 1 hour and 2 minutes, here I still had to quench your thirst at each hydration point.
The finish line crossed in an hour and 50 minutes after the start, which was in line with my previous expectations and level of physical preparation at the time. As for the result itself, during the "Vinnytsia Half Marathon" I managed to repeat my average result at this distance, so I was satisfied with myself. And this is not taking into account the fact that for a year and a half before that, I did not have too active training. And it showed that I did not lose much in physical form, which could not but make me happy.
Impression
“Vinnytsia Half Marathon” left behind some positive emotions, in particular, the high level of organization of the running event, as well as the good route of the half-marathon, which was completely blocked from traffic for the safety of the participants of the half-marathon. Since it was quite hot, the route included a large number of hydration points (water, fruit), as well as organized points with moisturizing sponges, where runners were met by friendly volunteers.
