At the end of August, Krasnoyarsk hosted the “Zhara” (heat) half-marathon, Russia’s most popular half-marathon beyond the Urals. Polyus has a long-standing partnership with the half-marathon in providing support and assistance for the event.
The runners ran down the main streets of the city, which were closed for the event. Overall, there were 2,300 participants, around 70 of whom were our colleagues.
Natalia Turzhina, Chief Engineer for Patent and Inventor Activities at Polyus Krasnoyarsk, said:“This event was my fifth race since 2017 and I’ve run the Zhara Marathon for the past two years. I adore running, it is my hobby, but it’s most important to me that I’m representing my team.”
Ekaterina Fedotova, accounting expert at the Krasnoyarsk-based Polyus backoffice, agreed:“Running is my whole life! I don’t run for my team to win any award, but because of my passion for sport.”
Krasnoyarsk Business Unit has its own running champions, such as Alexander Demin, Chief Software Engineer:“I am a triathlete. In preparing for the event, sports coaches trained participants in several groups. It is not obligatory, everyone joins by choice.”
All runners received a medal at the finish line.
Nikita Smirnov, GR Director at Polyus Krasnoyarsk, commented:“It is a real privilege for our company to support such a significant event, which is gaining momentum every year, and is open to everyone. It is not important who crosses the finish line first — everyone who gathered together for the competition is already a winner!”