Last year I drew the most attention to running events of the nice city of Ternopil, as it was my first half marathon in Ukraine, which I ran "Ternopil Half Marathon" and also ran my first winter half marathon "Win Trail Ternopil". I managed to get acquainted with the Kharkov cross country during their main road half marathon "Kharkiv Half Marathon". In 2019, Kharkov has generally proved to be a rather interesting city in terms of running news. "Kharkiv Half Marathon" main marathon got a new track and from the outskirts of the city the organizers moved it to the central part of Kharkiv, started its history - the 30 km "Easter run", the "Kharkiv Night Half Marathon" night marathon was held for the first time "Kharkiv Half Marathon" route marathon, well, for dessert, the organizers decided to pay attention to the fans of trail running and in the beginning of August organized the trailing half marathon "Kharkiv Trail Half Marathon" as a basis taking one of the trails of the "Strong Run" running festival.
So, as soon as the announcement was made that a trail was organized, I was literally overwhelmed by the desire to participate in it, but at the same time open the second part of the 2019 running season with an interesting half marathon. And I didn't want to bypass it after I ran the Kharkiv Half Marathon and the Kharkiv Night Half Marathon. Well, the organizers warmed up the curiosity to him by promising to show the real hills of Kharkiv, and believe me, after the "Kharkiv Half Marathon" and "Kharkiv Night Half Marathon" it became quite interesting.
Registration
The registration was done on the website sportevent.com.ua, and it was possible to choose one of two distances (21 or 7 km). Content of the starter pack: detail medal, chip, start number, distance and finish, camera with artist, photo from the north phone. The route of the northern phone "Kharkiv Half Marathon" consisted of 3 circles in 7 km. every circle.
Run
For me, July has become a kind of off-season. The first half of the year was quite full of running (the first marathon, mountain running, and in addition other races at different distances), so I just wanted to have a little rest and get some new strength.
Preparing for the half marathon, or more specifically jogging, as it was difficult to call preparation, I started two weeks before the trail. I decided to go to Kharkiv on the eve of the "Kharkiv Trail Half Marathon" in the evening, that it would be 6-6: 30 in the morning to arrive in Kharkiv.
Arriving in Kharkiv, immediately went to the starting town by number. The main location where the "Kharkiv Trail Half Marathon" was supposed to take place was already quite familiar with previous races (“Easter run” and “Kharkiv Night Half Marathon”) - “Forest Park”. Issuing starter packs, luggage and changing rooms were at the Velocenter house. After getting my number and leaving things in the storage room, I went to the start place, which was located 200 - 400 meters from the Velocenter in the depth of the Forest Park.
The start of the half marathon was scheduled for 8 hours. The route consisted of 3 laps, each 7 km long. There were 2 hydration points on the route, which were located near the start. Participants of both distances started at the same time. Although I have run in this forest park twice in the past, this time the organizers organized a really interesting route that ran through the forest paths and as promised the organizers had a lot of ups and downs.
Immediately after the start of the "Kharkiv Trail Half Marathon", the track ran down a narrow path, where immediately the accumulation of runners began. The first circle was a kind of acquaintance with what awaited me during this adventure, and it was quite good nature of the forest park and running up and down the paths. And it was quite easy to overcome.
After the first lap, half marathon participants began to stretch. Therefore, at the next intersection, the half marathon decided to remind that it was still a trail, not a road race, and it was not necessary to relax here. And I got the first opportunity to get my route, but in time I realized that something was wrong here and checked my route. Yes, and at one time I got the experience of running not on the route, so as soon as there is a suspicion that I am not running there already I check my direction. After that, he decided to stay with some group of runners. Thus, gradually, our group was formed, consisting of about 7 people, who together crossed the second circle, insuring each other from the wrong direction.
As for the last leg of the "Kharkiv Trail Half Marathon", it turned out to be the most severe - fatigue began to show. On the same lap, a second chance to chart your own route, as it is slightly behind its group. So he tried to catch up with them in a hurry, but between 11 and 12 miles he did not turn there at the next intersection. After that, frankly, the desire to catch up with someone and go somewhere has disappeared altogether. Returning to the half marathon, he decided that there was no need to rush anywhere much, so he changed his pace to a more leisurely one and headed for the finish line, with not much left.
Impression
"Kharkiv Trail Half Marathon", like the rest of Kharkiv city runs, has a pretty good organization and is a pretty good end to the so-called Kharkiv Half Marathon Triad ("Kharkiv Half Marathon Marathon", "Kharkiv Trail Half Marathon") . Although the route "Kharkiv Trail Half Marathon" consisted of circles, but for me its plus is that it takes place in quite interesting locations, namely the largest forest park in Ukraine.
The route of the half marathon is full of different climbs and descents, it has a pretty good markup, although in some places it is quite cleverly made, which is sometimes confusing. And, I think, it gives it a kind of charm and makes the runner memorize the route and motivate the participants to be vigilant not to get off the route. In general, the "Kharkiv Trail Half Marathon" half-marathon turned out to be an interesting and exciting addition to the Ukrainian half marathons and trails.