Trypil culture
The culture of the Copper Age (Chalcolithic) and the early Bronze Age, which is very widespread on the territory of Ukraine, Moldova and Romania. Often used names are Trypillya-Kukuteni community, Trypillya-Kukuteni culture. It was discovered by V. Khvoyka at the end of the 19th century near the village of Tripillia in the Kyiv region. The territory of the distribution of Trypil culture — from the forest-steppe foothills of the Carpathians to the Middle Dnieper. The main defining feature of the Trypil culture is special dishes, which were divided into 2 groups: kitchen and dining. The dining room is characterized by high technological perfection, and from the middle period it was decorated with painted ornaments in red, black and white colors in various combinations. The kitchen utensils were of poorer quality, decorated with crossed-out ornaments and stickers, often in the form of bull heads. The ceramics of different districts and even of each Trypil municipality differed among themselves.
At the end of October, I went on my next running trip to get acquainted with a rather interesting Ukrainian trail race called "Tripillia - "Layers of Time"", which takes place every year in the village of Vytachyv. I learned about it for the first time back in 2019 and since then I really wanted to take part in it. So, when I saw that registration was open for him this year, I immediately submitted my application.
Registration
To register, you had to send your application on the official website of the event. Each of the participants could run a trail race “Tripillia - "Layers of Time"“ could choose one of two distances of 24 or 12 kilometers.
The route of the main distance of 24 kilometers consisted of one lap with an ascent of 500 meters. It took place mainly in wooded areas and along the slopes of the Dnipro River, where picturesque landscapes opened up. In addition, the organizers took care of rest and food. There are three hydration points on the route, where you can regain your strength a little.
Run
To be honest, when registering for the trail race "Tripillia - "Layers of Time"", I did not expect anything unusual and special from him. It was supposed to be a familiar and fairly easy 24-kilometer run through the autumn forest and the surrounding fields, where figuratively you have to run from one point marked "Start" to another marked "Finish".
However, it turned out not so this time. But everything is in order.
Itself running trip started on Saturday morning near the Vyrlytsia metro station, where a transfer was waiting for the participants of the trail. He was supposed to take us to the starting town in the village of Vytachiv, where the organizers started issuing the starting packages. The starting town of the trail met the athletes with fog, so the start was postponed one hour later.
So, after a short briefing by the organizers of the "Tripillia - "Layers of Time" race, who talked about the features of the marking of the track, at 12 o'clock in the afternoon the starting signal sounded and we set off on another running journey. It is worth noting right away that on the route participants will encounter two types of markings: orange and red for two different distances (12 and 24 kilometers), respectively. After all, everyone had a common start.
The first few kilometers were no different from other trails I've run before. You simply run through the forest and enjoy the surrounding nature, and after a few kilometers a sign with the inscription "Finish" awaits you. And this probably relaxed me a little, because the first adventures began already 5 kilometers after the start. Just then, a group of runners suddenly ran out to meet me and informed me that there were no markings and I had to turn back.
It was difficult to convey my surprise, it is only 5 kilometers, and I already managed to run in the wrong place. Of course, this saddened me a little, the colorful autumn forest, beautiful views of the Dnipro River, which further accompanied the runners, added positivity to this situation. Besides, I wasn't the only one.
Therefore, I had to be more attentive and look closely at the markings. Especially when the two marking colors (orange and red) coincided at one point, then you had to open the tracker and see which one to run on and whether you accidentally ran here.
The second interesting part of the day's adventure for me started somewhere after mile 10 when I ran out of a corner and managed to take a wrong turn. And the most unpleasant surprise awaited me at mile 13, when I almost reached the third checkpoint, which was supposed to be located somewhere behind the intersection, but these intersections turned out to be several in a row.
Therefore, after wandering there for a while and not finding the CP (although I'm not even sure if I was looking for it there), I decided that it was time to move to the "Finish". The road to it again passed through the autumn forest and slopes, from which a beautiful view of the Dnipro River opened. This added positive to this trail history. In 3 hours and 34 minutes, I still managed to see the inscription "Finish".
Impression
After the trail race "Tripillia - "Layers of Time"" I had many positive impressions and, first of all, because the organizers offered something new to the participants during it. The route had two red and orange markings, which sometimes confused us a little. But the main thing was that it was interesting to solve them, unlike other similar trails, where participants are asked to simply run from point "A" to point "B" along a fully marked track. This concept has not yet been fully developed, but the trail "Tripillia - "Layers of Time"" has something interesting to offer to fans run through the autumn forest.
As for me, participating in the trail "Tripillia - "Layers of Time"" allowed me to test myself for attentiveness while running. But most importantly, I managed to understand during the trail how I will react to the situation when I get lost from the route and almost become hysterical (especially when you get lost for the third time). What will I do at the same time: give in to panic or look for the best option. And it is better for me to gain such experience in the vicinity of Vytachev than somewhere in the mountains or in the desert.
