At one time it so happened that he became interested in running when he was in Poland. Therefore, at the beginning of his running career, he was quite interested in various Polish starts. Among the many different running events that take place during the year in Poland, I occasionally came across running events that were timed to dates that played an important role in the history of Poland, such as Independence Day (Bieg Niepodleglosci), Constitution Day (Bieg Konstytucji). 3 Maja), the Greater Poland Uprising (Bieg Powstania Wielkopolskiego), the Warsaw Uprising (Bieg Powstania Warszawskiego), and others. This approach of the Polish running community and the authorities to its centuries-old history seemed quite interesting to me.

So I decided to ask if there is something similar in Ukraine and what exactly are Ukrainian running events intertwined with the history of Ukraine, and at the same time remind Ukrainians of their glorious past. It turns out that Ukraine also hosts a large number of running events, which are timed to various historical dates that happened to Ukraine on its difficult path to recognition.

Friends Run

"Friends' Run" is a 32-kilometer road race that takes place in the Ivano-Frankivsk region in mid-January. The race "Friends' Run" is timed to the Day of Unity of Ukraine, namely on January 22, 1919, when both parts of Ukraine (ZUNR and UNR) united into a single country. During the "Friends' Run", its participants have the opportunity to honor the memory of their legendary ancestors who fought for the Independence of Ukraine in the early twentieth century. And, of course, remind the enemies of Ukraine that although they managed to prevent the formation of a free Ukraine in the early twentieth century, the final was left to the Ukrainians, not the empire.

100 km along the Belt of Glory

The tourist and sports event "100 kilometers along the Belt of Glory" is timed to April 10 - the day of the liberation of Odesa from German invaders. The event was first held in 1974 as a tourist hiking trail. The route of the race runs along the route of the Odesa Belt of Glory (a chain of monuments erected in 1964–1967 on the former borders of Odesa's defense against German invaders). Nowadays, the sports event "100 kilometers along the Belt of Glory" consists of a race and a bicycle rally. In addition, there is a test for the sum of two distances (running and cycling) during the day - "Iron Man".

Chornobyl Heroes Run

"Chornobyl Heroes Run", an annual half marathon held in the small Ukrainian town of Slavutych. The half marathon is held in memory of one of the most tragic events in the modern history of Ukraine, namely the Chornobyl tragedy. The half-marathon "Chornobyl Heroes' Run" is primarily dedicated to honoring the memory of the liquidators of the tragedy, and also reminds descendants that games with a "peaceful" atom can end quite tragically.

Run in the footsteps of the Galician Transversal Railway

The trail race "Run in the footsteps of the Galician Transversal Railway" is organized in honor of the first railway, which was built in 1861 on the territory of Ukraine and connected the Ukrainian Lviv, Chernivtsi with the Polish Krakow.

Half marathon "I am Ukrainian!"

On June 28, the half-marathon “I am Ukrainian!”, Which takes place in the town of Berdychiv and is timed to the Day of the Constitution of Ukraine, reminds Ukrainians of the existence of the main state document, namely the Constitution.

Marathon "Liberation"

Kharkiv is one of the running capitals of Ukraine and many different running events take place on its territory, but the Liberation Marathon stands out from all of them. Because this marathon is held in memory of August 23, 1943, when the city was liberated from German invaders during the German-Soviet war.

Race in Pirogov

"Race in Pirogovo" takes place on the territory of the Pirogovo Museum as part of the celebration of the Day of the State Flag of Ukraine and the Independence Day of Ukraine.

Rivne Patriotic Run

"Rivne Patriotic Run" is a race held in the city of Rivne as part of the celebration of the Independence Day of Ukraine.

Dnipro Vyshyvanky Run

"Dnipro Vyshyvanky Run" is a race held in the city of Dnipro as part of the celebration of the Independence Day of Ukraine.

Race in embroidered shirts

The running event "Race in embroidered shirts" is held as part of the celebration of the Independence Day of Ukraine - August 24. The peculiarity of the running event "Race in embroidered shirts" is that it unites all Ukrainians of the world on the Independence Day of Ukraine because the running event "Race in embroidered shirts" takes place in different parts of Ukraine and the world. Because this is not one running event, but several running events united by one historical event in the history of Ukraine, namely the day when Ukraine, after 300 years of occupation by Muscovy, gained its independence from it.

"Steel Hart" Race

The Steel Hart Ultra Run is a team 10-day ultramarathon held in Ukraine as part of the celebration of Ukraine's Independence Day.

Race "I respect soldiers, I run for Heroes of Ukraine"

The race "I honor soldiers, I run for the Heroes of Ukraine" is held in memory of the fallen soldiers of Ukraine who gave their lives for the Independence and territorial integrity of Ukraine and died during the armed Russian aggression against Ukraine (Russian-Ukrainian war) (2014 - present). The race "I honor soldiers, I run for the Heroes of Ukraine" is also not the one running event, but a combination of several running events that take place in Ukraine (currently the race is held in 8 regions of the country) in memory of the victim's soldiers of Ukraine.

Pokrova Half Marathon

"Pokrova Half Marathon" is an annual half marathon held in the city of Rivne and timed to celebrate the Day of the Defender of Ukraine and the feast of the Intercession of the Blessed Virgin.

Escape from Mezhyhirya

The "Escape from Mezhyhirya" race is a running event when Ukrainians remember how in 2014 the usurper, dictator, and traitor "legitimate" fled. The "Escape from Mezhyhirya" race route passes through the territory of the Museum of Corruption in Mezhyhirya. In addition, the race reminds Ukrainians of one of the cancers of modern Ukraine, namely the level of corruption of Ukrainian officials, who instead of protecting state interests and Ukrainians go to power to rob the state and cover their shadow business and serve as oligarchs.

In addition to the usual running events on the territory of Ukraine, there are also adventure races that honor the memory of all fighters for the independence of the Ukrainian state.

Volunteer

The Volunteer Adventure Contest is an annual orienteering competition held in Volyn to commemorate the national liberation struggle of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) against the Soviet and German occupiers. The route of the race runs through the graves of Ukrainian soldiers and battlefields that erupted in the 40-50s of the twentieth century. After Russia started the war against Ukraine in 2014, races are held in memory of the fallen Heroes who gave their lives in the fight against the Russian occupier.

But the exploits of Ukrainian heroes during races are remembered and respected not only in Ukraine itself but also abroad. Namely in Poland. Although from time to time there are differences between Ukraine and Poland in the approach to the interpretation of some events and heroes. But there are also events where the exploits of Polish and Ukrainian heroes are respected by their descendants alike.

Bieg 1920

In 1919, the Polish and Ukrainian states united in another alliance against their ancient and common enemy, namely Russia and its imperialism. In August 1920, a decisive battle took place between the Polish and Ukrainian military against the Russian order, which attacked the youth of the republic. This battle entered the history textbooks as "The Virgin on the Vistula." Then the Polish war under the command of J. Pilsudski and the Ukrainian war under the command of Mikhail Omelyanovich-Pavlenko were defeated by Russian hordes near Warsaw.

The Bieg 1920 Half Marathon commemorates the military who defended their countries from another invasion from the east. Then in that battle, the Polish-Ukrainian forces lost about 14,500 soldiers. And the Polish city of Zamost became a symbol of courage and heroism of the Polish and Ukrainian military. The defense of the city of Zamost lasted from 19 to 30 August 1920 and was attended by soldiers of the 6th Sich Division and units of the Marine Corps of the Ukrainian People's Republic under the command of General Mark Bezruchko and soldiers of the 31st Regiment of Kanyovsky Riflemen under Major Mykola Bolts. 4,000 Polish-Ukrainian soldiers under the command of General-Cornet Mark Bezruchko and Vsevolod Zmienko withstood and emerged victorious against the 16,000-strong Russian 1st Cavalry Army.

Thank you for reading, I hope you found it interesting.

If you have any thoughts or opinions on this article then I'd love to see your comments.

You can find out more about long-distance races on my blog