Today a marathon is a sign of a city which really loves sports. High quality marathon is not just a sporting event, it’s a hallmark of a developed and across-the-board healthy metropolis. Who has not heard of the famous London, Berlin, Boston marathons? Marathon tradition that came to us through the millennia, spreads more across the world with every year.
In 2010 Kyiv joined the honorable list of cities that hold their own annual marathon. It was then, October 16, 2010 that our capital city held its first marathon, attended by 546 participants from 13 countries – 144 athletes volunteered to go to the start of the classic marathon, which is 42 km 195 m. Volodymyr Horban from Kyiv and Liudmyla Shelest from Sumy became the winners of the big event.
The race was not a one-time event, instantly becoming the sports tradition of the city. Since then, the number of participants in Kyiv marathon has been steadily growing, and at the same time expanding the geography of the event – representatives of more and more countries seek to conquer the course, which runs through the most beautiful streets and avenues of Kyiv. Thus, the second marathon in 2011 was attended by more than 1,000 runners. 1,693 participants registered in 2013, and in the spring of 2014 nearly three and a half thousand athletes from 32 countries started Wizz Air Kyiv City Marathon at Kontraktova square!
Speaking of sporting records, the marathon of 2013 was the most productive in this respect when Andriy Naumov from Donetsk set the best time in the history of Kyiv marathon, making 42 km 195 meters in 2 hours 19 minutes. On the same day there was also the best time among women – Tetiana Rybalchenko from Kharkiv passed the classic distance in 2 hours 44 minutes.
All these years, Kyiv marathon organizers provided participants with an opportunity to test themselves not only in the classic distance, but also in street races of 5 and 10 km, half marathon and world-popular relay.
Wizz Air Kyiv City Marathon pays special attention to children’s competitions, because concern for future generations, encouragement of love for sports and child’s healthy lifestyle is one of the major missions of modern Ukrainian society.And what could be more useful for kids than running, which would help them grow not only as future athletes, but also as healthy and successful people. Therefore, in 2014 Kyiv marathon was attended by 337 children who participated in races of 300 and 1000 m.
By the way, athletes of all ages want to be a part of such an outstanding event, so in 2014 on the distance of 5 km we had a British participant Mike Bedwell, who was 79 at that time! This enthusiasm is not accidental, given the fact that Wizz Air Kyiv City Marathon has always been not only a sport but also a symbolic event, uniting human hearts.For example in 2013 the runners dedicated their victory to the victims of the terrorist attack that occurred during the Boston Marathon. In 2014 athletes united in the desire to pay tribute to the heroes of “the heavenly hundred.”
It should be noted that while there is a variety of flags present at Kyiv marathon, still most championship are Ukrainian. However, our runners are challenged by international visitors as it was in 2013, when the third place was taken by a Kenyan marathon runner Vincent Kipchirchir.
Autumn 2015 brought around the sixth Kyiv International Marathon “Wizz Air Kyiv City Marathon” This time 3,800 participants from 38 countries came to the starting line, which once again returned to the main square of the capital city. The marathon route became the special feature of this race since it was mapped as one lap through the city.
In the fall of 2016 the capital of Ukraine hosted the 7th Kyiv International Marathon – “Wizz Air Kyiv City Marathon 2016″. Neither rain and hail wind, which at times turned into a downpour, nor cool weather could cancel the biggest race event of the year. More than 6600 athletes and amateurs from 50 countries came on Sunday to the starting lines of their courses.
On October 8, 2017 the capital city hosted the eighth international Kyiv marathon Wizz Air Kyiv City Marathon 2017. 10 thousand runners from 52 countries came to Maidan Nezalezhnosti. That year there were almost 1200 marathon runners on the main course (42.195 km). That was the record number of participants.
On October 7, 2018 Kyiv hosted the ninth international Kyiv marathon Wizz Air Kyiv City Marathon 2018. There were 11 607 runners from 50 countries participating on all courses, and almost 15 000 people came into the streets to cheers the runners on. On that day there was a National record of Ukraine set: a firefighter in full ammunition that weighs 18 kg finished the 42 km course.
Today, the “Hall of Fame” of Wizz Air Kyiv City Marathon looks like this.
Kyiv Marathon record holders
Andriy Naumov, Ukraine – 2:19:17 (2013)
Tetiana Rybalchenko, Ukraine – 2:44:41 (2013)
All winners of the Kyiv Marathon
Дата | Загальна кількість учасників | Кількість країн | кількість учасників на 42 км | Переможці чоловіки | Переможці жінки | |
First Kyiv International Marathon | October 16, 2010 | 546 participants | 13 countries | 144 people | Volodymyr Horban, Ukraine – 2:26:36 | Liudmyla Shelest, Ukraine – 3:09:16 |
Second Kyiv International Marathon | September 18, 2011 | 1003 participants | 33 countries | 315 people | Volodymyr Horban, Ukraine – 2:27:26 | Tetiana Ivanova, Ukraine – 2:46:39 |
Third Kyiv International Marathon | May 6, 2012 | 1336 participants | 28 countries | 250 people | Viktor Starodubtsev, Ukraine – 2:25:27 | Liudmyla Shelest, Ukraine – 3:15:34 |
Fourth Kyiv International Marathon | April 28, 2013 | 1693 participants | 33 countries | 451 people | Andriy Naumov, Ukraine – 2:19:17 | Tetiana Rybalchenko, Ukraine – 2:44:41 |
Fifth Kyiv International Marathon | April 27, 2014 | 3313 participants | 32 countries | 495 people | Dmytro Pozhevilov, Ukraine – 2:30:21 | Olga Dehtiarenko, Ukraine – 3:00:00 |
Sixth Kyiv International Marathon | September 27, 2015 | 3800 participants | 38 countries | 505 people | Yevhen Hlyva, Ukraine – 2:32:39 | Yana Kulykova, Ukraine – 3:33:27 |
Seventh Kyiv International Marathon | October 9, 2016 | 6600 participants | 60 countries | 850 people | Oleh Leshchyshyn, Ukraine – 2:31:10 | Yuliia Bairamova, Ukraine – 3:01:11 |
Eighth Kyiv International Marathon | October 8, 2017 | 10012 participants | 52 countries | 1142 people | Artem Piddubnyi, Ukraine – 2:24:20 | Iryna Masnuk, Ukraine – 2:48:13 |
Ninth Kyiv International Marathon | October 7, 2018 | 11607 participants | 50 countries | 1626 people | Artem Piddubnyi, Ukraine – 2:28:29 | Yuliia Tarasova, Ukraine – 2:54:14 |