While reading the article about Ukrainian half marathons attracted my attention enough interesting half marathon, held in Slavutych. The half marathon in Slavutych can rightly be called one of the oldest half marathons in Ukraine - in 2019 the race is organized for the 30th time. In addition half marathon in Slavutych is one of the four so-called Ukrainian energy half marathons (half marathons of Ukraine, which take place in the satellite cities of nuclear power plants) along with "Race under the cooling towers", "Energodar half marathon" andNetishyn Half Marathon.
Every year during the half marathon "Run in memory of the hero of Chernobyl "Slavutich"” a championship is being organized between the teams of employees of nuclear power plants of Ukraine. But something else is worth noting: the participants of the run pay tribute to the heroes - liquidators of the consequences of the Chernobyl disaster of 1986, which became a dark spot in the history of Ukraine. In my opinion, to take part in such a half marathon in memory of brave people who saved the whole world from the terrible consequences of the catastrophe is much better than drinking beer on a park bench. But this is a small lyrical digression.
Registration
You can register for the run and pay the entry fee on the website vseprobegi.org. The organizers of the half marathon have their own Facebook page, where you can follow the main news.
The road to Slavutych
At the beginning of my trip to the European corner of Ukraine, I had to solve two important problems - how to get to the city of Slavutych and where to spend the night in the city. Since he knew almost nothing about the city before visiting it. I only heard once that Slavutych is a small town near the border with Belarus. I decided to get to the destination by train - the journey took about 3 hours. Surprisingly, the train turned out to be quite good and comfortable. On the way I had a pleasant meeting with an old acquaintance Vasyl Myshchenko, so the path passed as if unnoticed by an interesting conversation.
The organizers offered a convenient solution for housing - everyone could get contacts where you can stay during the run. I relied on the organizers and booked a room in the sports complex "Olympian".
Arriving in Slavutych, we decided in the direction of the sports complex "Olympian". I was glad to meet a lot of interesting people, but I was most impressed by Anvik Zgursky. This man is a real legend of Ukrainian skiing and running. He is already 87 years old, but this does not stop him from following an active lifestyle, while working at the Brovary Powder Metallurgy Plant.
Run
Start of the half marathon "Run in memory of the hero of Chernobyl "Slavutich"" was scheduled for 11 o'clock in the morning. Waking up in the morning, we went for our starter packs. After receiving the packages, there was still a lot of free time to get acquainted with the city and its landscapes. A small press conference was scheduled 30 minutes before the start, at which the mayor and the organizers of the run spoke.
In total, there will be three distances of 5, 10, and 21 kilometers, for which the start was common. Few people took part in the half marathon "Slavutych" in memory of the heroes of Chernobyl - about 280 runners. The route of the half marathon consisted of one circle and ran through the picturesque streets of Slavutych and its suburbs. The first kilometers of the route went through the streets of Slavutych, and then smoothly led to the forest, which alternated with fields and surrounding villages.
The running was quite comfortable. First, you had to run 10.5 kilometers in one direction, and then turn around and run the same way back. Hydration stations were installed at the 5th, 10th, and 15th kilometers. This time I ran more than once - Vasyl Myshchenko made me a wonderful company.
I didn't set any goals for the half marathon in Slavutych - I just wanted to enjoy another interesting race. But thanks to the personal pacemaker I ran with, the results impressed me.
The first 10 kilometers, Vasily and I kept a good comfortable pace, so they flashed perfectly. In just 46:13 minutes we covered half of the whole distance. After that, Vasyl left me to speed up and improve his previous results on this track. And I continued to keep a comfortable speed for myself on the way to the finish line.
I did not expect anything special from the run in Slavutych. For me, it was another regular half marathon, where by default there is a start and a finish, and the main surprise is how long it will take me to get to the finish. This time my result was very good - the half marathon was overcome with a result of 1:39:14.
But there were some disappointments - about 1 - 1.5 kilometers before the finish I learned that the route of the half marathon is shorter and its length is not 21 kilometers, but about 19 kilometers.
Finish
After everyone crossed the finish line, a pasta party was waiting for the participants of the race in the city restaurant. After the feast, there was an awarding of runners and a short excursion through the history of the half marathon "Run in memory of the heroes of Chernobyl "Slavutych" from the organizers. After the official events dedicated to the half marathon, the way home was waiting for me - the road to Kyiv ran through Chernihiv.
Impression
The town of Slavutych is pleased with its neatness and clean streets, as well as Soviet architecture, which gives the city a unique charm. Walking around the city, it seems that you got to Europe, but the Soviet model.
The wonderful atmosphere and organization of the half marathon "Run in memory of the heroes of Chernobyl "Slavutych" left a great impression. The route was very comfortable for running - the track could enjoy the beauty of nature, breathe fresh air, and even improve your running results as the half marathon track is quite smooth. Pleasant impressions were not spoiled even by the fact that the length of the route did not meet the norm.
The Ukrainian Federation of Athletics would like to address the issue of the length of the half marathon track in Slavutych. During the 30 years of the running event, it was possible to certify the route. This is what is done in countries where officials are responsible for their responsibilities.
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