Yoshkar-Ola, Russia—After two weeks and 1,500 kilometers, a children’s and youths’ super-marathon co-sponsored by UPF-Russia came to an end.
The event, “Children Against Drugs—I Choose Sports,” which was held under the Peace Road banner, was co-sponsored by the “I Choose Sports” NGO, which promotes a healthy lifestyle without drugs.
A team of 50 runners from many areas of Russia participated for the whole race, running in relays, from June 12 to 26, 2023. As they passed through various towns and cities in eight regions, they were joined by about 200 additional runners.
The super-marathon began on June 12 in Moscow with a kick-off rally just outside Red Square and concluded on June 26 in Yoshkar-Ola, the capital of the Russian republic of Mari El.
At the Moscow kick-off rally, speeches were given by Konstantin Krylov, the UPF secretary general for Eastern Europe, and representatives of the other co-sponsors—the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs’ Main Directorate for Drug Control and the Chinese company Tiens.
Longtime Ambassador for Peace Sergey Suprunyuk was the main organizer of the super-marathon, which UPF has co-sponsored for many years.
The project was supported by authorities in cities along the route, as well as local sports organizations and regional police units. In every city, the runners met with local officials and visited historical and cultural sites.
Dmitry Samko, the head of UPF-Moscow, not only participated in the race for the eighth time but also was the chief spokesman for the marathon. The daily reports and interviews with the participants that Mr. Samko posted on the Internet attracted the attention of thousands of people.
