Charity races are very popular all over the world. Every year, thousands of people travel hundreds of kilometers in order to join the general movement, conquer the set distance and help those in need.
In 2015, Natalia Vodianova and Polina Kitsenko united in order to implement the idea of running with meaning in Russia, to prove that this is the simplest and most accessible way of charity and to create a completely unique charity race that will have no equal.
“Why running? It’s very simple: running is the most accessible sport that unites people regardless of what they do. In sports in general and in running in particular, everyone is equal. Many people think that charity is the preserve of the rich, but is only an arm's length away, taken from a sneaker shelf. Our race demonstrates the culture of the most accessible charity and the simplest help to people: all you have to do is run, and not only spend time with pleasure and benefit for yourself, but also help those who really need it - says co-founder of the Running Hearts race Polina Kitsenko.. - The heart is a muscle and the more you use it, the bigger it becomes. From the first day, we set ourselves the goal of not only raising funds for the Foundation’s programs, but also making the event truly high level. “I, as an amateur athlete who has been competing in hundreds of competitions around the world for more than 10 years, and at the same time, as the producer of this race, am trying to make the perfect race, first of all, for its participants.”
In 2016 it started 25 Olympic medalists, which made it possible to register two Russian records: "The largest number of Olympic medalists participating in a race" and "The race involving Olympic medalists with the highest cumulative number of medals."
In 2017 Sberbank and the Naked Heart Foundation announced their cooperation and united two largest running projects, creating the charitable Green Marathon “Running Hearts”.
“Over the years, our race has grown and become an important platform for drawing attention to the work of the Foundation to develop support services for families raising children with special needs,” noted the founder of the Naked Heart Foundation, Natalya Vodianova.- in Sberbank, we were happy to find a strong partner who shares our values regarding a healthy lifestyle and running with meaning. Early help for children with special needs is the key to their fulfilling lives. For race participants, the most important thing is to reach the finish line. For a child with special needs - get support at the start!”
The first Sberbank Green Marathon took place in 2012. The project was awarded by the UN Environment Program for its contribution to the development of the planet's ecology. The project set a Russian record as a mass sports event taking place in the greatest number cities within one daylight hours.
The main start of the Sberbank city marathon and a new joint project - the Green Marathon “Running Hearts”, held in Moscow in 2017, has become one of the most effective sports charity events, collecting a record amount - 50,000,000 rubles. All funds raised were directed to the Naked Heart Foundation for the development of an Early Care project for young children with developmental disorders such as autism, Down syndrome and cerebral palsy. Thanks to the funds raised, more than 500 families in five cities received access to free support services in Early Intervention centers, Early Intervention services and kindergartens where the Naked Heart project is being implemented.
Over the four years of the race, we managed to collect almost 140,000,000 rubles, which were transferred in full to the Naked Heart Fund for Children.
Participated in the race record number of Olympic and Paralympic champions, theater and film stars, artists, journalists, businessmen, as well as corporate running teams large companies, press and television.
In 2019"Green Marathon Running Hearts" will take place June 1, Children's Day Sberbank will hold the race for the eighth time; for the third year in a row it will be organized jointly with the Naked Heart Foundation.
“Since its founding, Sberbank has been not only a financial, but also a social institution. In 2016, the year of its 175th anniversary, Sberbank strengthened its position as a socially responsible company - says President, Chairman of the Board of Sberbank German Gref.- We created the “Art of Preservation” project, thanks to which thousands of people visited museums across the country for free. In addition, they began to develop the “Special Bank” project - an ecosystem of products and services for clients with disabilities, built with sensitive attention to their life scenarios and needs. In 2017, we continued to develop Sberbank’s inclusive and social projects. The joint race in Moscow with the Naked Heart Foundation allows us to combine our experience with that of the Foundation and take the Green Marathon to a new level.”
This year Sberbank will hold "Green Marathon" in 59 cities of Russia. from Kaliningrad to Vladivostok.
The main start will traditionally be given in Moscow and for the second time the “Green Marathon Running Hearts” will be held at Vasilievsky Spusk. The program includes a race at a distance of 4.2 km, 10 km (including for people with disabilities who use a wheelchair) and first time marathon 42.2 km, as well as an award ceremony and concert.
All costs associated with organizing the event are fully covered by the sponsors and partners who took part in it. All artists, DJs, presenters, musicians and photographers work for free. And all funds collected by participants and corporate teams are transferred in full to the Naked Heart Fund for Children.
Detailed information on races in different years:
Vorobyovy Gory as the “cradle” of racers
“Street racing in Russia originated in the early 2000s,” says my interlocutor, “around the same time when the incredibly popular film “Fast and the Furious” was shown on the screens. The races at that time attracted 1000-1500 people - they don’t have such popularity today. Once, the organizers managed to hold the competition right on the paths of Sokolniki Park. Street racers raced both on Mashkinskoye Highway and at the training ground in Kubinka - in a word, everywhere where there were few “ordinary” drivers.
— What about the famous Sparrow Hills?
— Racing on them lasted for a very short time - although there are still fools who try to compete there from traffic light to traffic light, but this is rather an exception to the rule. Observation deck It was more of a meeting place for street racers, from where they set off in organized columns, in which all cars had their emergency lights on, to deserted roads, where races were held. Such columns are always noticeable from afar, other drivers join them and “in the process” get to know each other (there are usually 60 percent of such “random” guests at races). Actually, I myself joined this movement at one time. Of course, there are also special sites for street racers on the Internet, but beginners come to race through them relatively rarely.
— What cars take part in the races?
— At the beginning of the 2000s, there were few foreign cars, and people “drove” in creations of the domestic automobile industry, modified with their own hands. The racers bored out the blocks, placed huge cylinders of nitrous oxide in the cabin - and the spectators watched them, they were wondering why this car was going faster today than yesterday. For example, there was a story: the craftsmen cut the “seven” in half, removed the “extra” 40 cm, and then welded the car back together. This is how the first two-door Zhiguli cars turned out in Russia. Today everything has changed - racers can buy a car that is already prepared for racing. Sometimes real “monsters” compete with us - for example, a Nissan GTR with a power of 1200 hp. True, we, as organizers, allow drivers at our events in weak domestic cars that have about 75 “horses” under the hood - however, trying to find equal opponents for them. Not everyone in Moscow does this - organizers from many other teams try to cut off cars of domestic production or low power, and not allow them to compete. We don't do that.
— How are the races themselves organized?
- Previously, it looked like this: a column of cars - for example, from the same Sparrow Hills - arrives at some deserted section of the road in Moscow or the Moscow region, its “piece” is tightly blocked by the organizers with the help of a shield of cars, and the race begins, starting behind start, in a straight line. At the same time, the organizers of the events did not take any payment from the participants, and there were no dialogues with the traffic police officers either - the races stopped with their appearance. The entire “organizational” part boiled down to playing music from Soviet speakers installed in the trunk of the car, and a guy at the start giving the go-ahead flag to the racers (his role was usually played by a thin person so that the starters wouldn’t accidentally “catch” him).
- What has changed today? Are there membership fees?
- Yes, they are charged, in our team - less than 500 rubles for each car, regardless of whether you are a racer or a spectator. But this money is almost entirely spent on organizing a real show: we hire half-naked Go-Go dancers, buy expensive musical equipment, organize a fire show, various competitions and negotiate with traffic police officers. In fact, the organizers only have enough for gasoline from the entire amount collected. If there is extra money left, we spend it on gifts for participants; if there is not enough money, we add it from our own salary. We try to hold events every Saturday and Sunday from about 1 am to 4-5 am.
— What is the main incentive for street racers?
— To understand this, you need to ride yourself at least once; in 15 seconds (that’s how long a race usually lasts), the racer gets an adrenaline rush comparable to a skydive or good sex. And this kind of extreme forces drivers to participate in competitions again and again.
— How much does the traffic police “silence” cost? A number of media reported that you have to pay up to 40 thousand rubles for one event...
— In relation to traffic police officers, each team of street racers uses its own approach. Some people have agreements with the police that have been in effect for a long time, while others simply choose sections of roads where inspectors do not appear in principle. If we take the Moscow region, then these are mainly entrances to holiday villages: summer residents drive there and after midnight they no longer leave their plots, which is what street racers take advantage of. If the organizers begin to “negotiate” with traffic police officers, then everything depends on the specific location: on some roads the “tax” is fixed, on others it depends on the number of cars at the event, which the police simply count and charge for each.
— But traffic police inspectors sometimes still disrupt races?
- It happens - for example, one crew gave the go-ahead, and 15 minutes later another arrived and ordered us to pull out. In this case, we have an unspoken rule - if 10 starts have passed (20 for big races), then the event is considered completed. This is important if riders begin to pump up their licenses because of a disrupted race and demand their money back from the organizers. Sometimes the latter, due to the “unpredictability” of traffic police inspectors, have to pay their money to the competition participants and promise free entry in the future - in short, to spin.
— Over the years, has it become easier or more difficult to “negotiate” with the traffic police?
- In fact, it’s easier - in the 2000s, part of the road was completely blocked for racing, and ordinary drivers basically couldn’t drive there, which caused a lot of inconvenience and problems. Now the organizers are trying to leave “transit” windows. Simply put, if a car wants to pass, then it is allowed through. And for the races themselves, we only have two lanes for traffic in one direction - the races take place in a straight line, and two cars participate in them simultaneously. Each event lasts 2-3 hours, during which we manage to conduct about 100 starts. Our record - 167 starts in two hours - has not yet been broken by any Moscow team.
— What “personnel” are involved in organizing races?
— There are people who organize the parking of cars at the race site, there are those who make sure that the cars and their wheels are level and straight at the start, there is a “braking” team — they make sure that after the finish the cars stop normally so that they did not unfold, etc. Among our “staff” there are also so-called “orange vests” - they help those who want to find more or less equal competitors for the race, although usually the racers agree on who to compete with on their own. By the way, the organizers of our team do not participate in the races - so as not to be distracted from their main “mission”. In a number of other capital teams, on the contrary, the organizers not only participate in the races, but also begin to compete first - to “prime” the remaining racers.
— Do you have control over drivers while intoxicated?
— Yes, we use a breathalyzer if we suspect intoxication, and we can easily identify drug addicts by simply shining a flashlight in their eyes. We kick out such “racers”, and we can turn the particularly violent ones over to traffic police officers. We also do not hold in high esteem those who lie about the characteristics of their car - for example, its power is 700 hp, but is announced as 400 hp. Such a deception is revealed at the very first start - after all, a normal racer can determine the approximate power of a car without even looking under the hood; They immediately stop competing with the “cheaters”, and sometimes they even punch them in the face. By the way, the very principle that racers don’t look under each other’s hood and take their word for it about the car’s performance is a characteristic feature of street racing that distinguishes it from professional racing.
—Who participates in races most often? Students, managers?
- Differently. We have 18-year-old students, 50-year-old businessmen, “big” bosses, both the stronger and the weaker sex competing with us. Girls often beat men. For ladies, by the way, we have a rule: if there are only girls in the car, then entry to the event is free for her. And so if 200 cars came to it, then usually at best 60 of them compete - the rest are just spectators.
— Which racers are the most “problematic”?
“The “majors” for whom dad bought an expensive car are completely uncontrollable. And people from the Caucasus are very fond of, for example, shooting in the air during a race. This frightens the audience and attracts unnecessary attention from the police: a good law enforcement officer will always distinguish a shot from fireworks. By the way, regarding gunshots and crime, bandits regularly come to “visit” us, offering “protection” and claiming that this road actually belongs to them. True, when they find out that we have no profit, they immediately stop their “generous” offers.
Risk is not a hindrance for a street racer
“Unfortunately, accidents do happen here, but there are only a few serious incidents,” says Evgen. “Perhaps the worst happened in 2010 on Promyshlennaya Street in Tsaritsyn. One of the Moscow street racing teams decided to hold the closing of the season there and gathered many guests. And now a Nissan Skyline with an engine producing about 700 hp goes out for a test drive. Such powerful cars are always given the right to test drive - the driver must understand how it behaves on the road. vehicle. He drove it once - the car was “grinding” (that is, it held uncertainly on the road), twice - the same thing. Finally, it’s time for the race - a BMW with a power of about 400 hp competes against the Skyline. And the driver of the first, obviously, decided to win the race “beautifully” - he pressed the pedal to the floor and already in second gear turned on the nitrous oxide, which in principle should not be done. As a result, the car rushed forward, its left pillar broke, it lost control and flew into the crowd. The result - one person died, and another ended up in the hospital with severe injuries - then the entire Moscow racing community sent him money for treatment, and in the end he finally got back on his feet. But most of our accidents, fortunately, still happen in impromptu parking lots, when cars simply “don’t move away.”
— Did the incident on Promyshlennaya Street change anything in the world of Moscow street racing?
— Yes, the authorities began to intimidate street racers with almost prison sentences. By the way, a law establishing criminal liability for organizing street racing is currently under development. And if it is adopted, then the Moscow racers will become completely uncontrollable, there will be no one to control and organize them. A simple example: we always make sure that the tracks during races are free of “ordinary” drivers. Now imagine - two “wild” racers decided to compete, stood at a traffic light and raced off. And at this time some grandfather in his “seven” began to leave the yard...
— There were rumors that they wanted to close Vorobyovy Gory to cars... And only yesterday “MK” announced that bikers would be kicked out of there.
- No, they won’t be closed - they installed traffic lights, hung cameras and installed speed bumps, but things won’t go any further (according to rumors, this is due to the fact that the FSO reserve route runs on Vorobyovy Gory, and in case of unforeseen circumstances, the first persons states are transported to the Kremlin and from it precisely along them. - Author's note). Recently they blocked off the area at the main entrance to VDNKh - they installed concrete blocks and hung “bricks”. This can be explained simply - one of the street racing teams staged colorful shows there for a long time, but they took a break for the winter. And this winter, “wild” racers began to “light up” there with seasoned domestic cars - they listened to music loudly, talked, “drifted” (“drifting” is a type of race when the car goes into a skid again and again)... In the end Traffic police officers arrived, began to investigate, and they were showered with plastic cups amid laughter. So the new ban does not concern us; normal racers have already left Vorobyovy Gory.
