In the middle of autumn, very interesting ones were waiting for me trail races. Participation in the trail race “Irdyn Trail Run” planned to take, last year, so it was necessary to find another similar trail to him for a couple. My choice fell on a newcomer among the Ukrainian trail races called "Village Trail”.
This new trail was announced just weeks before the immediate date. Despite the fact that this trail took place six days after "Irdyn Trail Run“ I just couldn't avoid such a running event. This trail was interesting for me because of its route and distance of 27 kilometers, as well as the fact that this is the first race of this format, which is held in the city of Bila Tserkva.
Registration
In Ukrainian trail calendar “Village Trail” appeared quite unexpectedly, so you could only register for it through the Google Form. Here it was necessary to fill in the form and send it to the organizers of the event. After that, a reply was sent to the e-mail, which specified the details for the payment of the entry fee. The starting number of the participant was assigned after confirmation of payment.
The road to Bila Tserkva
I decided that I would get to the starting town directly on the day of the "Village Trail". I didn't have long to go to Bila Tserkva, besides, the start of the race was scheduled for 11:00 - I had a great time to get there, and there was still time to walk Bila Tserkva on the way to the starting town and prepare for the trail.
I visited Bila Tserkva for the first time. The city turned out to be very clean and beautiful. I was impressed by the lane, which is specially designated for public transport. To my great surprise, ordinary cars did not drive into this lane. Are there any cities in Ukraine where public transport can travel freely on its own lane, which unscrupulous drivers do not turn into a parking lot?
But there were also disappointments. On the way to my destination, I came across an unusual bridge on Prince Volodymyr Avenue. For motorists, this bridge was great - a brand new flat surface without the slightest potholes or bumps. But for pedestrians and cyclists there was just awful. There used to be a flat sidewalk there, too, but now it's hard to call what's left of it.
The pedestrian zone is completely broken, there are pits in it, in which an inattentive person can fall down. I very much doubt that it is safe to walk on it, but city officials probably do not share my opinion, because this sidewalk remains open to pedestrians. There aren't even any warning signs! I don't understand how it is possible to repair a bridge in such a way that one part of it is excellent for transport and terrible for people. Probably more logical to repair the whole bridge at once. However, what I'm talking about is that when you repair an entire facility at once, you can spend money once, or several times. It is probably more convenient for them, and the residents of the city suffer.
The organizers set up a starting point in the woods, so I had two ways to get to it: go through the fields or through the city streets. Of course, I decided to go through the fields to look at the river Ros and enjoy the beauty of local nature.
Run
When I got to my destination, I received my starter pack and waited for the start of the trail race. Despite the fact that this was the debut start of the trail "Village Trail", 150 people decided to take part in the running event. Only one distance of 27 kilometers was available for participants. The race route consisted of one lap. The trail started at exactly 11:00.
The natural landscapes inspired the race to be very interesting. The first part of the route ran along forest paths and a path that ran along the railway track. Then it passed through the villages of Klochky and Tomylivka.
The "Village Trail" was held just six days after my other "Irdyn Trail Run". My legs did not have time to fully recover after running through the swamps and I was well aware that at any moment my knees could insist on rest. The only intrigue was which of the kilometers of the trail in Bila Tserkva they would start to remind of themselves.
After the start, I began to look closely at the runners to find those who follow the same pace as me. So it would be easier for me not to stray from a comfortable running speed for a long time. I found them quickly: I joined the two young men somewhere on the second mile, then kept them until the first ascent, waiting for runners in the middle of the route. At the top of Solovyukha Mountain, I decided to stop for a while to take pictures of the surrounding landscapes.
There were many climbs along the trail route, but only two of them turned out to be interesting. The first ascent met us at about the eighth mile - the ascent to Mount Nightingale was 203 meters. Behind him, a checkpoint with water and refreshments was waiting for the runners. I did not stay there long, and after drinking some water I continued my way to the finish line. The first half of the "Village Trail" was overcome by me in 70 minutes.
The next 8 miles of the race were no longer as interesting as the first part of the route. About 10 miles of runners were waiting for the second ascent with a set height of 183 meters. After this ascent, the participants expected a steep descent down. Here they even pulled the rope to make the descent safer. Then another interesting location was waiting - Dam. After it, the route ran through the forest belt and fields, heading to the finish line.
As I thought, my knees reminded me of myself during the run - it happened somewhere on the 13th mile. I ran 13 miles in 130 minutes. Therefore, he no longer mocked his knees and ran the last 4 miles slowly to the finish line.
Impression
The "Village Trail" was held for the first time, and despite that the organization was very good. I have pleasant impressions not only from the trail itself, but also from the beauty of the surrounding nature. The organizers well paved the route that passed through the surrounding farms, villages, forests and fields. There were even asphalted sections of the road in the villages.
The route was well marked and the work of volunteers was at a high level. What surprised me was that the runners were constantly accompanied by cyclists who pointed in the right direction on difficult turns.
Note:
The only thing I didn't like was the paved section of the route between 9 and 10 miles. There were "moose" here, who, despite the fact that a column of people was running along the roadside, thought that it would be a very good idea to run past them at full speed. In my opinion, there were those who were always late somewhere. But there were also drivers who tried to slow down, as they saw runners, and move to another lane.
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