On October 8 the capital city will host eighth international Kyiv marathon Wizz Air Kyiv City Marathon 2017. The organizers of this running event, Run Ukraine, plan to bring together over 12 thousand fans of running from 55 countries. They expect the record number of participants on the main course (42.195 km) – 1,400 runners. This was announced by Dmytro Chernitskyi, the General Manager of the company, during the presentation that took place in Hryshko Botanical Garden on July 20.
“With every year there are more and more marathon runners and fans of running. The number of people in the audience also grows. It motivates us to improve organizational quality of the event. This year we plan to add a new category of participants as we have created special courses. The road to a great success begins with a single step. And we give you a chance to take it – we created a charity race of 2 km. This is a chance for beginners to discover running and help ATO veterans return to active lifestyle”, -says Dmytro Chernitskyi, the General Manager of Run Ukraine.
The route of the main course is traditionally mapped in one lap around the picturesque streets of the capital city. Compared to last year, it has some minor changes. The start and finish lines are located at the Independence Square. To see the whole route, visit our official website and check under the tab “Routes”
The highlight of Wizz Air Kyiv City Marathon 2017 are medals. For the first time, this year the medals of the finishers of the main course will feature the portrait of Princess Olha of Kyiv; and the finishers of the half marathon course will receive medals with the legendary founders of Kyiv – Kyi, Shchek and Khoryv. These are the candidates that received the most votes during the open online voting on our website kyivmarathon.org.
Both amateurs and experienced runners can join the international running community and test themselves. You simply need to choose a course and get ready. On October 8 Wizz Air Kyiv City Marathon 2017 will include traditional individual races on the courses of 42.195 km; 21.0975 km; 10 km; 5 km; 2 km. You do not need to be a professional athlete to overcome the main marathon course. “1+1” TV presenter Marichka Padalko has already registered and plans to run the course of 42.195 km.
This year the program of races includes new courses and cups, namely:
- Security Cup 5 km – for representatives of security services;
- Guide Run 5 km – race for blind people who overcome the course with the help of their guides;
- Family Run 2 km – family race for adults and children;
- University Cup 2 km – among students;
- Women Run 3 km – for women who are just beginning their running adventure.
- Diplomat Cup – for employees of embassies and cultural centers.
- Chamber Cup – for corporate teams.
- Сity Cup – to award the fastest athletes of Kyiv on the course of 42.195 km.
8th Kyiv marathon will include charity race “Winners” on the course of 2 km, dedicated to the heroes of the multimedia project by “1+1” channel. This will be the fourth stage of series of races “Winners”. The first three stages took place as part of running programs of Run Ukraine Running League 2017 in Kyiv, Dnipro, Odesa. Thanks to registration fees and fundraisers we have collected 473,506.58 UAH for prosthetic limbs and rehabilitation of ATO veterans who were wounded in combat. Thanks to the funds raised, one of the heroes of the project, Oleksii Avanesian, is getting ready for the race with a new prosthetic limb for sports. This fall the race participants will help to raise funds for Viktor Kardash, ATO veteran, who had lost a limb, but remains optimistic and keeps the desire to do sports.
Traditionally, the running event will involve not only adult runners, but also children. They will have special children races on the courses of 100 m, 500 m and 1000 m. Each young finisher will receive a memorable medal and gifts.
Running is for everyone who wants to become better. The oldest participant of Kyiv marathon last year, 76-year-old Oleh Shetankov is getting ready for his marathon to improve his last year’s result. He proved with his own example that running has no age limits, you just need to take the first step.
“Age can not stop me. I’ve been running since my youth. Now I train on a regular basis to run my marathon on October 8. Mo goal is to finish the marathon course in the set time limit”, – shares the 76-year-old runner.
To show good results on the finish line, Run Ukraine invites you to join their training program which has three main areas:
- Open Run Day – free running training sessions taking place on Saturdays. Aimed at both beginners and experienced runners. Starting on July 22.
- I Will Run – individual professional training program for those who run marathon and half marathon.
- Long Training – test runs of 10, 20 and 30 km. They can help you test yourself before the official race.
The official marathon website will also have distance training programs available for those who want to train along with professionals long-distance.
Wizz Air Kyiv City Marathon 2017 is a prestigious running event which received the highest ranking (5 stars) among road races of European Athletic Association. The courses of 42.195 km and 21.0975 km have been certified by AIMS.
More information and registration forms are available on the official event website kyivmarathon.org.
Title sponsor – Wizz Air.
Contacts for the media:
Daria Savchenko
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Viktoriia Veremiienko
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