More Than a Million Hryvnias of Charitable Contributions for the Needs of the International Legion of GUR: How the Run of Honor Named After the Recruit Went
On the day of the 858th full-scale invasion, a charity Run of Honor was held in Kyiv in honor of Recruit — military journalist Oleksiy Chubashev, who died in 2022 during the defense of Severodonetsk. The race was initiated by Recruit's wife, Yulia Chubasheva, and the Run Ukraine company.
"When we discussed the name, we immediately understood that we did not want this event to be called a "memory race". After all, it is not enough to simply remember a person, it is not enough to be silent during a moment of silence - it matters, but it is not enough. We must be worthy of the sacrifice of those who gave their lives. We must support and declare the values of people no longer with us because usually, the best leave us.
Today we pay tribute to Recruit - a person who was one of the first to understand that it is necessary to create an image of the army. To a person who wasn't afraid to say uncomfortable but important things when most people didn't even think about them. Lyokha is the one who did not hide when the country needed him, he moved himself and had enough strength and courage to lead others. "Lyokha has never been lazy and you won't be lazy today, tomorrow, never," said Yuliya Chubasheva, wife of Recrut and the initiator of the race.
The event brought together 1,590 runners. More than 1,200 participants took part in the offline event, which took place at VDNG, and also ran online in 34 countries of the world. Thus, the organizers managed to collect and hand over a check for 1 million 316 thousand hryvnias for the needs of the International Legion of the Ukrainian Army (MoD of Ukraine), in which Oleksiy Chubashev served.
"I am British by nationality, but I have a Ukrainian heart. Ukrainians pay a high price for their freedom, so I am proud to be there, to express my support and represent the International Legion," said International Legion serviceman Aiden Aslin.
Among the participants of the race were experienced runners, as well as military personnel and people who knew and followed Oleksiy. All of them competed at distances of 5 or 10 kilometers.
"On this day, with the help of sports, we want to remind about the importance of the unity of society, the unity of the military and civilians. We are all one country attacked by the enemy, and we must continue to fight and think every second about those who are holding the front," says Ivan Tretyakov, a serviceman and organizational director of the Run Ukraine company.
Veterans also started the symbolic distance of one hundred meters. These are military personnel who have undergone or are currently undergoing rehabilitation at the Next Step center and the Kyiv Institute of Rehabilitation. Yevhen Halych, a military man and musician of the O.Torvald band, also supported the symbolic race.
"Today it is very important to support such initiatives, to support boys and their families. After all, heroes do not die and we must remember them," commented Yevhen Halych.
At the distance of 10 kilometers, Ihor Panchenko finished first (33:23), and Natalya Melnychuk (41:30) became the best among women. Oleg Shulzhenko (16:44 min) and Anastasia Borema (21:10 min) were the fastest among the top five among men and women, respectively.
An interesting fact is that the oldest participant in the race is a 66-year-old British woman who will run the distance online in Great Britain.
All participants of the event who completed their distances received finisher's medals, which, like the race itself, are really special. After all, the award symbolizes a bulletproof vest — one of the most important elements of military personnel's ammunition, as well as a chevron that helps distinguish one's own from others on the battlefield.
- The organizer is Run Ukraine
- Co-organizer — Recruit
- General partners — Ukrnafta, PITBULL ACADEMY
- The general media partner is 1+1 media
- Official partners are ABRAMS, DILA
- Automotive partner — Volvo
- Partners — Smile, GADZ, PSD
- The insurance partner is TASlife
- The water partner is Morshinska Sport
Info:
Run Ukraine is the organizer of the largest running events in Ukraine. Since 2010, the company has held more than 60 international competitions for runners and sports enthusiasts. The mission of Run Ukraine is to organize mass sports events of the highest level, to inspire and motivate people to run.
