More than 7 thousand runners will start the winter marathon "Road of Life"

On January 25, the 57th winter marathon "Road of Life" will be held in the Leningrad Region, dedicated to the complete liberation of Leningrad from the Nazi blockade. This race is not only a sporting event, but also a national gesture of remembrance, because the history of besieged Leningrad is dear to every Russian. It will bring together more than 7 thousand participants, 2,500 of whom will start the marathon race.

"The Road of Life is special among all our launches. This is not just a sporting event, but above all a social event that unites the memory of the heroic deed of the residents and defenders of besieged Leningrad. We deeply respect their courage, which will forever remain in the hearts of Petersburgers and the whole country. I am glad that every year more and more people join the race, including those who survived the blockade. Their participation makes this marathon a living bridge between generations," said Ksenia Shoigu, head of the League of Heroes.

The main route traditionally follows the legendary Road of Life: from the Torn Ring Memorial on the western shore of Lake Ladoga, a symbol of the broken blockade, to the Flower of Life memorial dedicated to the young heroes of Leningrad.

Participants will have four distances to choose from: 1 km, 5 km, 10 km and the classic marathon — 42.2 km.

For runners at distances of 5 and 10 km, a transfer to the "Flower of Life" is organized from three points: Kovalevo railway station, OK hypermarket (Ladozhskaya metro station, Zanevsky Prospekt, 65, bldg. 1), Lenta hypermarket (12 Doroga Zhizni highway, Vsevolozhsk). Runners starting at a distance of 1 km can take advantage of a transfer from the Kovalevo railway station and the Lenta hypermarket. Marathon participants will be able to use free buses from Ladozhskaya Metro Station to the Torn Ring Memorial. In addition, 11 food outlets will be organized throughout the marathon route, as well as special support points for fans with musical accompaniment.

For the first time in the history of the race, an online format is being held from January 15 to February 20. It allows you to join the event from anywhere in the world. The new format allows everyone who is not indifferent, but will not be able to physically attend the start in the Leningrad region, to join the participants of the "Road of Life", become part of the general memory movement and receive a finisher's medal by choosing one of the four distances. Among the first online participants are TV presenter, blogger and former captain of the Russian national rugby team Vasily Artemyev, as well as more than 170 people from different cities, including Irkutsk, Dzhankoy, Salekhard, Vladivostok, Khanty-Mansiysk, Yerevan, Kaliningrad, Vitebsk, Yakutsk and others.

The Road of Life marathon traditionally unites war veterans and children, residents of the besieged city and their descendants, professional athletes, media personalities and a large number of caring people from St. Petersburg and other cities of the country. So, this year, 90-year-old runner Mikhail Bentsionovich Gershman, a regular participant in the "Road of Life" since 1982, will start again. In addition, Anatoly Stolyarov, a 68-year—old runner from the Novgorod region, will take part in the race for the 23rd time. He invariably runs a marathon in the uniform of a Red Army soldier and with a Victory Banner in his hands. Vladimir Ponomarev, a two-time winner of the Road of Life, who continues a family tradition: his father was a marathon medalist in 1981 and 1982, will try to win the 42.2 km race again. The continuity of generations will be reflected in the joint race of the Savichev family – the grandson of Tanya Savicheva's brother Mikhail Savichev, who will run 5 km, and his children Elizabeth and Roman, who will cover the kilometer distance, will start the race for the first time. For them, this launch is another opportunity to recall the feat of a relative, whose blockade diary has become the main symbol of the besieged city. And since 2018, Artem Frolov, a regular participant in the Road of Life, will dedicate his marathon to his grandmother, who survived the blockade, who will meet him at the finish line at the age of 94.

Additional events are planned ahead of the launch.

On January 21, in the Hockey City (Saint Petersburg, Rossiysky Prospekt, 6, building 1, Prospekt Bolshevikov metro station), a free training session will be held for everyone with the players of the SKA hockey club (upon prior registration).

On January 22, a public talk on the continuity of generations and the role of the "Road of Life" in the history of the city will be held at the House of Books (Singer House building, 28 Nevsky Prospekt, St. Petersburg). Mikhail Gershman, Mikhail and Elizaveta Savicheva, the head of sports projects of the League of Heroes, Nazari Kolomiets, and other speakers will take part in the discussion.