"We take care of mental health and help the Armed Forces of Ukraine": RUN 4 VICTORY participants tell about their preparations for the race

On September 15, Cherkasy will host the third RUN 4 VICTORY charity race. It is organized by the Kharakter sports community and the MHP-Community Charitable Foundation. The funds raised will be donated to the needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The participants of the event told about their preparation for the race and their goal of participating in the marathon, UNN reports.

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In particular, Yevhen Osadchyi, an engineer from MHP-Agrofort's control systems service, is preparing for the race in Cherkasy.

"Running helps me to switch gears, change my focus and organize my thoughts, understand my body's capabilities and develop discipline," he says.

The man works out three times a week at the gym.

"I discovered running with the start of marathons in support of the military initiated by MHP. I try to run 5-10 kilometers during training. Before that, I participated in similar races back in 2020. Back then I ran 10 kilometers with obstacles. My longest distance is 17 kilometers," said Osadchiy.

The athlete joined the RUN 4 VICTORY marathon in Ternopil, which took place on May 19.

"In order not to travel 700 kilometers, I decided to run in my city. I registered in the program, indicated my geolocation. Then I turned on the timer and ran. The app calculated my route based on the tracker and my average speed. I didn't start with everyone else that day, but a little later. You can run online at a convenient time. I received a medal, a starting number and goodies from MHP," explains Osadchyi.

During the Ternopil race, he covered 5 km. Yevhen will run the same distance in Cherkasy. He advises beginners to have a positive attitude towards the distance, take care of comfortable shoes and a T-shirt.

"It's better to run offline, with everyone. These are emotions, experiences, support from colleagues. It's important for me to take part in the race because I understand that my donation will help the military. Besides, sport is an integral part of my life," summarized Yevhen.

Bohdan Tkach, head of the central spare parts warehouse at Baryshivka, says that sports helps him release negative emotions. And while running, he looks for superpowers in himself.

Bohdan comes from a small village in the Kharkiv region. From the age of 7 to 19, he played football professionally.

"It all started with Kharkiv's Metalist, where I joined the junior team. We traveled around Ukraine to tournaments and won prizes. When the war broke out in 2014, Metalist began to fall apart and we were disbanded. But then new teams were created, sponsors appeared who paid for everything," Tkach recalls.

The athlete played for Metalist Kharkiv. As a member of junior teams, Bohdan participated in district, city, regional and national football tournaments. He also traveled abroad. During his football career, he received about 80 medals. He is most proud of the second place award at the Ukrainian Futsal Championship.

"Running helps develop football intelligence. That's why on weekends or after work or training, I used to go jogging with my dog. We had a German shepherd. I lived outside the city, so we went out to the field with it and trained there - we ran 5-10 kilometers. This lasted from the age of 12 to 16, because then more intensive football training began," Tkach admits.

When the man retired from professional football due to personal circumstances, he found a new hobby. He went for walks of 5-10 km.

"My first race took place in Kharkiv. I ran 10 kilometers then. My biggest distance is a half marathon. Our coach set the pace for us, and we ran to one of the villages and back. It was all part of the training before the competition," says Bohdan.

Now he trains mostly after work two or three times a week. He runs different distances, but tries to vary his pace. 2 km is a high-intensity run to improve his strength. Another 5 km is for internal training for future distances to demonstrate maximum capabilities. During the break, he works out on the horizontal bars. On weekends, he plays soccer.

"I advise beginners to start their sports training with Nordic walking, especially if they are overweight. It involves the arms and the whole body. Those who are already running need to understand their capabilities before the distance. That is, they should take into account how they feel, their mood, and how they prepared themselves for the race. If a person is not mentally prepared for extra effort, then why tear out their veins and kill their psyche and body," Tkach said.

The first marathon within RUN 4 VICTORY was held in Ternopil in May. About 400 adults and 100 children took part in it. Up to 100 more people supported the race online. The organizers raised UAH 260 thousand, and MHP doubled this amount. The funds were transferred to the 105th Brigade of the Ternopil Theater of Operations.

The second marathon took place in Vinnytsia in June. They managed to raise funds for 30 FPV drones with an estimated cost of UAH 500 thousand for the 59th Separate Infantry Brigade named after Yakiv Handziuk.

In the fall, the RUN 4 VICTORY charity race is also planned for Ladyzhyn, Vinnytsia region.

Participants will run 2, 5, 10, and 21 km courses. To register, you need to make a charitable donation. The main goal of the project is to unite the efforts of businesses and communities in supporting the military.

You can register for the charity race in Cherkasy https://runstyle.net/events/mhp-cherkasy/