As reported by RG, the agreement on the creation of the BRICS Marathon League was signed in June 2023 within the framework of the St. Petersburg Economic Forum.
Now the implementation of the first stage of the project has begun – the creation of the Russian Marathon League, that is, within the country with the three largest starts at 42.2 km. Next, it is planned to expand internationally and combine up to 10 races that will take place in the BRICS member countries.
“The Ministry of Sports supports the BRICS Marathon League project from the beginning. The initiative for its creation is written in the concept of the Russian presidency, which began on January 1 of this year. In the context of the BRICS As an interstate association, we not only see no restrictions in terms of development, but we also see unprecedented interest in the development of sports between countries. And this is a population of 3.5 billion. And the BRICS family will develop and expand even more,” said Kirill Kozhevnikov, Deputy Director of the Department of Education, Science and International Relations of the Ministry of Sports of the Russian Federation. He added that there is great interest from China, Brazil and every sports minister from the BRICS countries “has a Marathon League presentation on his desk.” “This work is carried out jointly with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, all embassies are concentrated on this work. We hope that by the Kazan Games we will be able to present specific foreign marathons that will be included in the League in 2025,” Kozhevnikov noted.
Presentation of the BRICS Marathon League. From left to right: Vladimir Voloshin, Vadim Yangirov, Anatoly Zubko, Dmitry Tarasov. Photo: courtesy of the Running Community press service.
What awaits all those who will participate in the start of the League marathons this year? If fans set a fast time to complete the distance (2:28 for men, 3:00 for women – editor’s note), they will receive a cash reward. But the main thing is that participants who complete two or three of the three marathon distances in one year will have the opportunity to enter special classifications: based on the results of the two best marathons based on the sum of the finishing times of the year, by age category, for the fastest marathon runners.
Professional athletes will also receive bonuses: a high level of prize money and bonus payments for updating the best time, the opportunity to win more than a million rubles and enter the world ranking; as well as the possibility of registering national records established within the framework of competitions, etc.
“We want the overall level of athletes in Russia to increase, that’s why we focus on this area. This program is not only here, but all over the world. It provides the opportunity to earn money, invest it in your further development, improve results personal and include national results,” said Dmitry Tarasov, co-founder of Running Community and director of the Moscow Marathon.
“We want Russia’s record in the marathon to finally be updated in the coming years. This is a common goal that we set for ourselves, no matter in which of the League’s marathons this happens,” said Vadim, director of the Kazan Marathon and TIMERMAN. Yangirov series of sporting events.
Winner and runner-up of the 2023 Moscow Marathon. Photo: RIA Novosti
Regarding the participation of famous elite athletes from other countries in the League races, updates have also been made here. Now, in all Russian marathons participating in the League, four athletes from non-CIS countries will be represented: two men and two women, and the level of accepted athletes will be 1115 points or higher. “The main goal and task is not only to grow in quality, but also to push Russian athletes to certain results. For us it is important to maintain the desire of Russian athletes to improve, to improve their results in the fight against strong international athletes “, noted Tarasov.
In addition, a standard of mandatory requirements for marathons participating in the League is emerging in Russia.
Therefore, all races in the series should focus on a high level of competition that meets world standards. This applies to all key aspects, including work with fans, a strong sports program and the development of athletics in general (including work with various categories of runners: children, students, running clubs and corporate participants). All races must be certified by an accredited international organization (e.g. AIMS), and when planning the race route and city of departure and arrival, organizers must take into account all factors to ensure a high level of services. and safety of the participants: along the main distance route there must be the necessary number of food and refreshment points, toilets, ambulances, etc. In addition, within the framework of the races participating in the series, there will be a live broadcast of the event, a program for fans and a work program with elite athletes. must be implemented.
In addition, in the future it is planned to develop a rating system for running clubs and corporate participants, as well as a loyalty program that includes travel offers and a sports and leisure program for the whole family, which will become additional motivation for the participants.
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The Moscow Marathon is the largest race in Russia with a distance of 42.2 km. It has been held annually since 2013 (except 2021) and is a member of the Association of International Running and Marathons (AIMS). The competition program also includes a 10 km race. In 2023, nearly 30,000 runners started both distances. Read here about what the marathon was like last year.
The international marathon “White Nights” is one of the largest and oldest marathons in Russia. It has been celebrated annually since 1990 (except 2020 and 2021). From 1995 to 2019 it was held in the morning hours. In 2022, the race returned to the historic format and took place at night, and in 2023 it was run on a linear course for the first time. The competition also includes a 10 km satellite race.
The Kazan Marathon is the largest annual race held in the capital of the Republic of Tatarstan and has been held in Kazan since 2015. The start includes not only classic distances for amateurs and professional athletes (42.2 km, 21, 1 km, 10 km, 3 km), but also races for children.
