2,000 runners took part in the Tobolsk Marathon race

5 september 2023

On Sunday, September 3, Tobolsk hosted the Tobolsk Marathon 2023, organized with the support of SIBUR, the event's general sponsor, and Tobolsk's City Administration. The city gave a warm welcome to running enthusiasts and travelers from all over the country who had come here to discover the key to Siberia and to good health together.

Elena Belskaya, Director of Government Relations and Socio-Economic Projects at ZapSibNeftekhim:

«We are delight to see the number of Tobolsk residents involved in the city's athletic activities grow by leaps and bounds every year in an indication that interest in such events is on the rise and that, accordingly, they are getting larger scale-wise. This is the story of what was once the Tobolsk Half Marathon that has evolved into a full-fledged Tobolsk Marathon. Besides, the race is becoming yet another point of attraction for tourists. For them, it is an opportunity to not only spend a healthful and active weekend, but to also experience the history and culture of Tobolsk. SIBUR's employees are always active participants of these races, and this marathon was attended by our co-workers from other cities including Moscow, Tomsk, Tyumen, Kazan, and Nizhnekamsk».

The fall's flagship sporting event drew some 2,000 people, including corporate competitors, of whom 280 were SIBUR's employees (including 51 employees from Nizhnekamsk, Kazan, Moscow, Tomsk, Tyumen, Voronezh, and Nizhnevartovsk). ZapSibNeftekhim's trade union organization rallied together a support group consisting of 123 individuals.

The race attracted active lifestyle enthusiasts of all ages from the youngest participant being just 3 years old to the most senior one at a respectable age of 82. The contestants represented 88 cities from 21 different regions. The list of racers included Maxim Afanasyev, the Mayor of Tobolsk, who completed the 10 km course.

Maxim Afanasyev, Mayor of Tobolsk: 

“We have come a long way in promoting sports tourism in Tobolsk. We regard it is our key to staying healthy and a part of a larger strategy of marketing the whole city as the key to Siberia! We felt it was very important to not just come up with an idea for some large-scale event, but to revive some things that had once existed here. We chose to focus on running and we made the right choice. Our athletes are very active. They are always on the road traveling to various meets, participating in marathons all over Russia and thus promoting our city. We have runners’ clubs; we have developed strong partnerships with the regional “5 Verst” project. And as a result, all the communities of our region have come to our marathon race. We feel their strong support, and I would like to thank all of them for that! We were inspired by the success of the previous half marathon and it gave us hope that the marathon would be an even greater success. I am convinced that this event has already made its way into the calendar of sporting events and we have no intention of backing down!”

Following consultations with Tyumen Oblast’s Governor Alexander Moor, a proposal will be put forward to include the race in the RF Ministry of Sports' General Schedule of All-Russian Physical Culture and Sports Events, and so it is not inconceivable that next year the race might be granted federal status.

As a reminder, this year was the first time the competitors were offered an opportunity to run the full 42.2 km course. Shorter distances of 3, 5, 10 and 21.1 km were also available. There were separate courses of 500 m and 1 km organized for the youngest athletes. The 10 km distance turned out to be the most popular one with a total of 410 racers taking part. The 42.2 km distance was completed by 150 runners.

The race kicked off on the main square in front of the Tobolsk Kremlin. The race's routes traversed the city's principal landmarks offering the athletes an opportunity to take in the rich history of Siberia's spiritual capital and to enjoy its breathtaking vistas.

The event was organized by the Sports Promotion Foundation in cooperation with Tobolsk's City Administration and with the support of SIBUR as part of the latter's Formula for Good Deeds social investment program.