Moscow, Russia—Thirty young participants of the ultramarathon “Children Against Drugs—I Choose Sport!” started their 12-day run in the center of Moscow.

As in previous years, the runners started from Kilometer Zero (the exact center of Moscow), located just outside Red Square. The annual run is dedicated to the memory of a doctor with a worldwide name, the marathoner and Ambassador for Peace Eduard Yakovlev.

UPF-Russia co-organized the 2018 ultramarathon together with the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs in conjunction with the Moscow Region public organization Super Marathoners—for a Healthy Lifestyle. This year the project received a grant from the president of the Russian Federation.

The runners carried the Peace Road banner, sharing that project’s goals of peace and cooperation. The marathon’s additional goal is to draw public attention to the moral and physical health of children and adolescents.

The route of this year’s ultramarathon, which started on June 1, passed through 17 cities and towns in Russia’s Golden Ring: Moscow, Krasnogorsk, Sergiev Posad, Pereslavl-Zalessky, Rostov the Great, Borisoglebsky, Uglich, Rybinsk, Tutayev, Yaroslavl, Kostroma, Furmanov, Ivanovo, Suzdal, Yuryev Polsky, Kolchugino-Noginsk and Electrostal.

The marathon would return to Moscow, finishing in Victory Park on Poklonnaya Hill on June 12—the national holiday Russia Day. The total distance of the marathon was about 1,200 kilometers (more than 745 miles).

The participants included 14 young athletes from Moscow city, with the rest coming from Moscow Region and the regions of Bryansk, Vladimir, Ivanovo, Nizhny Novgorod, and Yaroslavl. As in previous years, several family teams participated.

In many districts, meetings were organized with youth, representatives of government bodies and public organizations, as well as anti-drug campaigns, and sports and educational events.