The first winners at the Minsk Half Marathon - 2026

Belarusians Artem Drabashchikov and Veronika Izvestik won at a distance of 10 km of the Minsk Half Marathon - 2026, the correspondent of the Minsk-Novosti agency reports.

This distance traditionally opens the largest running event in Belarus.

Before the start, the participants held a warm-up, and then everyone was instructed by the Chairman of the Minsk City Executive Committee Vladimir Kukharev. He wished the participants to successfully cope with the kilometers.

- I am glad that all the distances on the Minsk Half Marathon are popular. The competition gathered a record number of participants in recent years - 30 thousand. No one is afraid of rainy weather. During the start, it was clear that the participants were determined to win and fight. These people train, prepare and set the right example. Minsk Half Marathon has become the hallmark of the city. I am sure that every year there will be more and more participants. And Minsk is ready to organize a running event at a high level. And now we with the Belarusian athletics federations have done a great job to make the participants comfortable at the distance, said V. Kukharev.

The head of the Belarusian Athletics Federation Ivan Tikhon added that such weather is suitable for setting personal records. Anyone who reaches the finish line will receive a medal. There is an extensive entertainment program for fans. On September 4, the application included runners from 40 countries, but on September 5, a representative from another country arrived.

In men, the 10 km race was won by A. Drummers. He led the race and set a high pace. All the rivals fell behind. In proud solitude, the man completed the race. His time is 30 minutes. 52 seconds. A few minutes later, he gave comments to reporters. Artem said that for some time he restrained himself so as not to accelerate. We had to wait for the moment, save the strength for the finish.

“The emotions are overwhelming,” said the winner. I previously competed at distances of 5, 10 and 21,097 km. But I didn't. I wanted to. It happened today. The most important thing was to demonstrate a strong and beautiful run. I didn’t experience any difficulties at the distance. I managed to escape the pursuers. There was no time to rest – I had to work and work. I started running 16 years ago. Now I work as a coach in athletics in the sports school of Krupki.

The winner among the girls was V. Izvestik (time - 35 minutes 53 seconds). She said that she is preparing for the marathon, and the Minsk Half Marathon is a good opportunity to test the shape and speed. The participant was afraid of a slide at a distance, but successfully coped with them. She was also inspired by the support along the track. The fans were motivated not to slow down and finish faster.

Participants have already gone to the track for 21,097 km. Then start on 5 km (13:00), 3 km (14:00), as well as children's races on 1.5 km (15:00).

Photo by Irina Malinovskaya