“Everyone became a hero of the race”

On September 16, the Leonid Tyagachev Ski Club hosted the next stage of the “Race of Heroes,” a Russian extreme obstacle race project that celebrates 10 years of creation this year. Today it covers almost 30 thousand participants throughout the country.

10 thousand sports enthusiasts took to the race in the village of Shchukolovo near Moscow – racing with various types of barriers and obstacles. Among them is a team of employees from the National Medical Research Radiological Centre of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, who once again gathered to measure their strength with their competitors and with themselves. After all, the Race of Heroes is not only about strength and sport, but first of all about overcoming oneself.

This time we had to overcome a ten-kilometer distance, complicated by large differences in the route, all kinds of monkey bars, ravines with ropes, high sheer walls, and so on. Notably there was the team of 13 people consisted mainly of surgeons from the thoracoabdominal departments of the National Medical Research Radiological Centre.

At the start there was the usual bustle and slight excitement. Among the still clean participants were grimy finishers, those who had already completed their marathon. They walked with dignity and slowly, demonstrating the joy of overcoming and blissful fatigue. On their chests a token “passed the test” glittered.

“For the fourth year now, our race has been accompanied by instructor Alexandra,” said team captain, Deputy General Director of the National Medical Research Radiological Centre for Surgery Andrey Ryabov. “Under her leadership, we did a warm-up, received instructions on the track, and went to the start. We were very lucky with the weather. It was sunny. Our team’s turn to start was at 16:00.

-We first ran down the hill. There was a wonderful landscape on the horizon in which the domes of the temple shone gold in the sun, recalls Andrei Borisovich. “There was something unusual and touching in this group run.”

At first, the obstacles were not difficult, and this gave some people a feeling of slight self-confidence and victory at hand. But it was not there! There began ravines, very difficult monkey bars, steep climbs, and we could only laugh at ourselves when our hands came off the ropes, the apparatus became too heavy to lift, and the barriers became higher and higher.

In the Race of heroes, the main thing is not personal success, but teamwork. Everyone must reach the finish line. And this task brought us together in an extraordinary way. They ran very friendly, helping to overcome the walls, constantly protecting each other. Instructor Alexandra was nearby all the time and managed to professionally conduct the race and provide timely encouragement.

For many, the race became a test not only of athletic fitness, but also of willpower.

“Our team was the best,” Professor Ryabov sums up the past weekend against the backdrop of a golden autumn. — We passed almost all the obstacles. We finished cheerfully, holding hands. We received the tokens and coupons wth hot buckwheat porridge with tea. I have never tasted anything tastier for dinner!

Professor Ryabov summarized the last weekend against the background of the golden autumn.

Press Service of National Medical Research Radiological Centre of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation