My acquaintance with Ukrainian half marathons continues and this time my attention was drawn to the town of Drohobych and its local half marathon - "Drohobych Half Marathon", which took place in late May. In addition, Drohobych became the second city in the Lviv region after Lviv to have its own half marathon.
Registration
You could register for the “Drohobych Half Marathon” on the runstyle.net website, where those wishing to take part in the running event in Drohobych could choose both the main distance of 21 kilometers and the satellite distance of 7 kilometers, or take part in the 3 x relay. 7 kilometers. The entry fee for the main distance was UAH 500.
The route of the half marathon passed through the cozy streets of Drohobych. For the participants of the main distance, the route consisted of 3 laps of 7 kilometers each. At each lap, three food outlets were set up for the participants of the half marathon. In addition, the organizers arranged two music venues.
Run
You can get to Drohobych in several ways, namely by direct train from Kyiv, or go to Lviv, and thereby direct train, or with a change in the town of Stryy or Sambir to get to Drohobych. I chose the option with a direct train from Kyiv, in addition, it was quite convenient to arrive in Drohobych, namely 2 hours before the half marathon, which allowed you to take a leisurely walk through the morning city in the direction of the starting town. That's why my trip to the half marathon in the town of Drohobych started on Saturday evening from the Kyiv railway station, where train number 49 was waiting for me.
Sunday morning for me started at the train station in Drohobych and a short walk through the streets of the city to Rynok Square, where the starting point of the half marathon "Drohobych Half Marathon" was located. In order to receive their starter pack, the half marathon participant had to call his / her start number and present his / her identity card.
We reached Rynok Square, where the participants of the half marathon started to gather in the morning and the less time left before the start of the half marathon, the more crowded it became. Because in order not to waste my time, I immediately went to the tent, where the start packages were issued, so that I could get my starting number to participate in the race.
The start of the "Drohobych Half Marathon" was scheduled for 10 am. Of course, before the start of the half marathon, as always at the running events, there was a small briefing from the organizers and a small warm-up. Then began a running event called "Drohobych Half Marathon", which was covered by participants for the distance of 21 kilometers and relay races, and after them, the participants started for the distance of 7 kilometers.
For the participants of the half marathon, it was necessary to overcome 3 laps of 7 kilometers each. As for the route of the circle, it passed through the cozy central streets of Drohobych and past the main architectural monuments of the city. The pavement of the route was mostly asphalt, but there were also several areas covered with cobblestones. The entire route of the half marathon was blocked by foreign vehicles, which were monitored by local police. In addition, there were three food outlets in each circle, where participants were treated to water and delicious fruit. The organizers also organized two music scenes on the route of the half marathon, from which wonderful music was played, which encouraged the participants of the race.
This year I am lucky to race in which the route consists of several laps and "Drohobych Half Marathon" is no exception. Therefore, only after the starting countdown was over, 3 laps on the streets of Drohobych were waiting for me. The first lap (4 miles) of the half marathon was conquered quite easily, you run and enjoy the streets of Drohobych, from time to time running to the hydration points to drink water, and there is a new lap and everything again. He managed to conquer the first lap in 34 minutes, spent 1 mile 10 minutes, and managed to reach the finish line of the half marathon in 1 hour and 57 minutes. After the finish, the participants were served delicious borscht and interesting city tours.
Impression
Well, the "Drohobych Half Marathon" turned out to be quite well organized, as for the first edition of the half marathon. The route of the half marathon, which also passed through the central streets of the city, is blocked from outside transport. Quite good support from the participants of the half marathon from volunteers and residents of the town.
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