The Minsk Half Marathon might be a relatively new event on the calendar but the race is already one of the biggest road races in Eastern Europe.
What started off as a one-off event to mark the city’s birthday in 2013 has developed into an annual celebration of running. From 600 runners taking part in the first edition four years ago, a record-breaking 20,000 runners took part in this year’s event on 4 September.
“The level of organisation has improved significantly – we can proudly say the race is of a European level now. The number of sponsors and partners is growing as well as support on behalf of the city authorities,” said Vadim Devyatovskiy, the head of the Belarus Athletic Federation who are responsible for organising the annual event.
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An indictment of the Minsk Half Marathon’s rapid development in the last four years can be demonstrated by the fact the race has been rewarded with a five-star endorsement from European Athletics Running For All.
“To be given a five-star endorsement is extremely important for us; it’s a great honour. It means that we meet all the criteria ensuring high-quality and safety level of organization of the race,” said Devyatovskiy.
While the organisers have started to invite elite athletes from overseas - and international participation continues to increase thanks in part to free visas for participants - their foremost focus is the development of a running culture in the country.
The programme includes 5km and 10km races for newcomers and the organisers have made it a policy to waive entry fees for youths, students and pensioners in order to engage the widest possible demographic to get fit and active.
This strategy was clearly a success: 8000 students and 2000 schoolchildren took part in the event. Devyatovskiy even goes as far to describe the half marathon as a “social project.”
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“It is our goal – to bring this culture to the masses. That is why the Minsk Half Marathon is first of all a social project. Running is indeed getting popular in regional centres – they run actively, create running clubs, but in small towns it’s just starting to gain momentum,” said Devyatovskiy on the development of recreational running in Belarus.
From the recreational runners to the elites, course records fell in both the men’s and women’s races. Fresh from a fifth-place finish in the Olympic Games marathon, home favourite Volha Mazuronak won the women’s race in 71:44 while Kenya’s Hillary Kiptum won the men’s race in a fast 63:00.
On his first visit to Belarus, Kiptum was impressed with the course and the warm reception he received from the fans lining the course.
“It was not difficult to run here, because the course is in a beautiful city. We were lucky with the weather. And people who had come to see the competition were supporting everyone, even me,” he said.
These sentiments were shared across the board but the organisers are by no means prepared to rest on these laurels. In time, the Belarus Athletic Federation are hoping the event will be viewed on the same level as Europe’s top half marathon and marathon races.
“The event is a success. Everyone is happy and there were thousands of reposts in social networks. We are getting high praise and words of gratitude. This is most important,” concluded Devyatovskiy
The 2017 edition of the Minsk Half Marathon will take place on 10 September.
The European Athletics Quality Road Race standards act as an assurance for road runners throughout Europe. They distinguish between races that respect the standards and those that haven’t sought certification or assessment. They form the foundation of Running for All, a strong recognisable brand for running activities throughout Europe.
More information on Running for All:
Website: european-running4all.org
Twitter: @runningforall
Contact: [email protected]