About 17,000 runners take off at start of largest international White Nights marathon

The 33rd White Nights Marathon took place in St. Petersburg. About 17,000 professional athletes and amateur runners covered the 10 kilometre or 42.2 km distance.

This year the event joined the BRICS Marathon League. At the first stage, it unites the country's largest and most significant marathons (in Moscow, St. Petersburg and Kazan) into a single series, and in the future it will also include races of the BRICS countries. TV BRICS is the international media partner of BRICS Marathon League.

For the first time in a long time, representatives of far-abroad countries – Kenya, Ethiopia, Central Asia and other parts of the world – took to the start line of the White Nights. This year, the runners had an updated programme – for the first time it included an open student relay race. Taking into account the fact that participants could form their own teams and run the marathon distance together with their friends, 77 amateur teams and 27 student teams came to the start.

The 10km race was started at 21:00 local time by Boris Piotrovsky, Vice-Governor of St. Petersburg, and the marathon race was opened at 22:00 by Dmitry Kapitonov, a Russian track and field athlete and three-time winner of the White Nights 10km marathon, together with Diana Vishneva, a Russian ballet dancer and prima ballerina of the Mariinsky Theatre.

The route of both races traditionally passed through the historical part of the city, passing by iconic architectural monuments such as the Kazan Cathedral, the Admiralty, the Rostral Columns and others. However, the start and finish areas this year were located in other places: the start was located in the heart of St. Petersburg – on Palace Square, and the finish – at the monument "Bronze Horseman" on Senate Square.

In addition to the runners, this year the event was once again joined by thousands of fans, residents of St. Petersburg and guests of the city. A total of 14 support zones were located on the marathon distance, and 10 on the 10 km distance. For those who could not join the event in person, a live broadcast of the competition was traditionally organised.

6 men and 6 women became winners in the 42.2 kilometre absolute standings, and for the first time the winners in the national marathon standings – 3 men and 3 women – were awarded.

At the 10 km distance, the prizes went to 3 men and 3 women, who covered the distance the fastest, and both relay races were won by the three teams with the best results.

Winners of the 42.2 km race in the all-round competition:

Men

First place – Korir Sammy Kigen, 2:15:33 (Kenya)

Second place – Alexey Reunkov, 2:17:11

Third place – Alexey Patrakov, 2:17:35

Fourth place – Oleg Grigoriev, 2:18:51.

Fifth place – Ivan Kuznetsov, 2:22:24.

Sixth place – Iskander Yadgarov, 2:22:40

Women

First place – Alena Tatarinova, 2:32:46

Second place – Luiza Dmitrieva, 2:33:26

Third place – Alina Prokopyeva, 2:35:26

Fourth place – Lyudmila Lebedeva, 2:36:10.

Fifth place – Shure Jemila Wortesa, 2:37:41 (Ethiopia)

Sixth place – Natalya Leontieva, 2:39:40

National winners of the 42.2km race:

Men

First place – Alexey Reunkov, 2:17:11

Second place – Alexey Patrakov, 2:17:35

Third place – Oleg Grigoriev, 2:18:51

Women

First place – Alena Tatarinova, 2:32:46

Second place – Luiza Dmitrieva, 2:33:26

Third place – Alina Prokopyeva, 2:35:26

Winners of the 10 km race:

Men

First place – Rinas Akhmadeev, 0:29:03

Second place – Maxim Yakushev, 0:29:55

Third place – Egor Limonov, 0:30:16

Women

First place – Svetlana Aplachkina, 0:32:51

Second place – Anna Vikulova, 0:33:03

Third place – Alla Sidorova, 0:34:00

Winners of the team relay:

First place – "Spiros", 2:16:35

Second place – "Respect Run", 2:18:41

Third place – "Belarusian Stayers", 2:20:24.

All participants who met the time limit received commemorative medals with the marathon symbols. Winners and prize-winners in the main competitions were awarded with commemorative cups.

Also this year, for the first time in the marathon, the fastest amateur runners who covered the distance within the set limit were honoured separately. For men it is 2:28:00, and for women – 3:00:00.

Awards were also given to participants for whom the White Nights Marathon was the second stage of the BRICS Marathon League. There were more than 400 of them this year. After the finish, everyone was given an exclusive commemorative badge with the League symbols.

Photo: White Nights Marathon