Plesetsk Mile

This post is for #SublimeSunday is inspired by Hive account@c0ff33a and #BeautifulSunday is initiated by Hive account@ace108

On the last day of May, Sunday, I attended an interesting event at a sports festival called the Plesetsk Mile.
On July 15, 1957, the history of the Plesetsk Cosmodrome began in the remote Arkhangelsk taiga. It was in the city that gave the name to the northernmost cosmodrome on May 10, 2024, that the LEOPARD LEGION RUNNERS (LLR) running club appeared.
I didn't expect so many people to love running in such a small town, and I was surprised by the number of participants in this exciting event.

My son has always been actively involved in sports, apparently I instilled in him a love of movement. I once taught him how to play volleyball and he became interested in it. And he's been hitting the ball for over 20 years now. But during the pandemic, group sports were banned, training stopped, and the son switched to kettlebell lifting and running. I was surprised by this choice. His physique is not designed for lifting weights, but running and jumping are definitely his element.
A couple of years ago, my son told me that he ran 30 km in the morning. I even compared him to Forrest Gump because he decided to cover the 170 km distance alone. But in the spring of that year, he had dental implants installed and doctors forbade such loads. But the son did not abandon this idea. Last winter, he became a member of a running club and found like-minded long-distance runners there. And they decided to do a 170 km run in the middle of August, but for now they are actively preparing and exercising daily.

So, the granddaughter registered as a participant for the 1 mile distance and got her number. The son, of course, registered for the maximum distance of 14 miles.

The number has been received, now we need to send a photo to the grandmothers who are at home 1200 km away.

These are Alice's friends, 2 brothers - Kostya and Danil. They are very athletic guys. Kostya is the main contender to win the 1 mile race at the age of 11.

There was some movement. Mass warm-up of the participants. Although... Everyone is already warmed up and ready to start.

The children under the age of 7 were the very first to run a distance of 300 meters. They all had the same number. This is a psychological moment.

The distance is 1 mile. I can see Kostya and even Alice's ear.

Kostya is as calm as a boa constrictor. At the age of 9, he has already managed to practice various sports and is doing well everywhere. It's genetics!

Alice is also calm, I don't see any excitement on her face. Her task for today is to reach the finish line, and she did it. And she wasn't even the last to arrive!

The main distance is laid outside the stadium along the city streets. Alice runs out of the stadium.

Registration of participants started at 10:30, we left the stadium at 3:15 p.m. and the guys were playing instruments all the time. Anyway, I didn't notice that they stopped playing.

I see Kostya, he's already coming to the finish line. He even overtook an older girl!

Look at this boy's face, friends. How much passion and diligence he has on his face. He's running like a million-dollar prize pool. But he doesn't even think about it. He is interested in winning even without a prize.

I see Alice! She hasn't run into the stadium yet. She still needs to run about 500 meters.

Alice! Go ahead! Faster!

Kostya encourages Alice. There are 10 meters left and there will be a finish line.

That's it, Alice completed her work and was rewarded with ice cream.

There was also a 3-mile start, but I wasn't following her.
And now the start has been given at a distance of 7 and 14 miles.

Well, the runners went to their half marathon, and I went to a cafe to feed my granddaughter and eat myself.
By the way, today, this running club organized a run 10km + 10km bike race. My son did not show up for the competition, he was at his workplace today.

Don’t Worry, Be Happy _{(C) Bobby McFerrin}

_{Text & Photography by Hive account@apnigrich
With love Hive account@apnigrich
Good luck and have fun}