Three family races and 30,000 participants. What to remember Minsk Half Marathon - 2026

The Minsk Half Marathon was held in the capital on September 6 and gathered 30,000 participants. Runners and organizers shared their impressions, the correspondent of the Minsk-Novosti agency reports.

Chairman of the Belarusian Athletics Federation and participant of the 5 km distance Ivan Tikhon said that this event is remembered primarily by emotions.

- The weather was rainy. But it helps to show good results. This year, the route was updated at two distances - 10 and 21,097 km. Along the track there are a lot of fans who supported all the participants. It happens that fatigue covers, but when you are so driven forward, a second wind opens, said Tikhon. Impressed with the training of age runners. By the way, the oldest participant is 90 years old, the participant is 84 years old. Both are Belarusians. The man ran 10 km and the woman 5 km. Parents said many children who are not even a year old. There were newcomers. I think these people will recharge the atmosphere, continue to study and will definitely run next year. Despite the political situation, many participants from Western Europe and the Baltic States came to us. Sport performs a peacekeeping mission.

According to the chairman of the BFLA, the participants like that the Dynamo Stadium was chosen as the central location of the Minsk Half Marathon. Near the territory is the starting town, on the tracks of the object - the finish. Here, both runners and fans feel comfortable. In addition, the partners of the event organize an extensive entertainment program.

Former football player, Deputy Chairman of the football club “Minsk” Andrey Razin said that he goes to the race for the second year in a row. In 2025, several employees of the club agreed to overcome the distance of 5 km, and this year they decided to repeat it. There was no special training. Except that the Minsk citizen participated in the Spartakiad. The Minsk Half Marathon is an emotion, a holiday for the city and thousands of people. Such events lift the mood, and I want to return to this atmosphere again and again.

- I still ran the Minsk marathon and once on the “ten” in his age group was the winner, recalled the head of the Main Department of Sports of the Minsk City Executive Committee Maxim Voropai. I haven’t missed a single half marathon yet. Such races give a lot of positives and reboot after serious mental work. I want to set an example for residents of the capital, so that they are also attracted to physical activity. After all, you can really enjoy it. There are already 30,000 of us, which is an impressive figure. To an absolute record of 40 thousand – not so much. For example, a year ago there was one family race, and this one was three.

Let us add that the attitude towards the event is changing. Until a few years ago, some participants went to the track in jeans. Now everything is in sports uniform, running shoes. And runners like to spend a dozen or two minutes with friends on the green lawn of the Dynamo stadium after the finish – this is a photo, communication, training arrangements. The next Minsk Half Marathon is a year away, but it will fly by very quickly, and the organizers will come up with something new to surprise.

Photo by Irina Malinovskaya