Traditional athletics run “Orzega – Petrozavodsk” was held in Karelia

This year it was held for the 42nd time and brought together about 200 participants from all over Karelia.

The event is traditionally dedicated to the memory of employees of the NKVD of the KFSSR, who died in September 1941 in the battles for the Orzega station.

Before the start, the participants gathered at the monument to the defenders of the Motherland at the Orzega station. The gathering honored the memory of the victims with a minute of silence and laid flowers.

And then it was time for the sports part. Participants came out at distances of 5, 8 and 16 kilometers. The autumn track required strength and endurance: somewhere you had to keep the pace on the rise, somewhere to add on the descent, and in the last kilometers - already negotiate with yourself and move to the finish line.

For some, this day became a struggle for the result and seconds, for others – an opportunity to test yourself and overcome the chosen distance. But the meaning of the run is much broader than the sports result.

Participation in it is not only a sports test, but also a tribute to people who gave their lives in the line of duty. That is why from year to year at the start meet different generations, and sports tradition helps to preserve memory.