Around 2,000 join Vyshyvanka Run in Kyiv ahead of Independence Day

The event, held for the 13th time, brings together runners wearing clothing featuring traditional Ukrainian ethnic elements. Participants could choose distances ranging from 5 kilometers to a half marathon of 21.1 kilometers.

The run was launched in 2014 by Ukrainian Olympic athlete Oleksandr Kuzin and has since become an annual event celebrating Ukrainian culture and identity. This year, similar runs were also organized in New York and the Ukrainian cities of Rivne, Chernivtsi, Khmelnytskyi, and Odesa.

Andrii, a Ukrainian service member, told hromadske that he joined the event on his day off. This was his 10th Vyshyvanka Run out of the 13 held so far.

“This is a tribute to Independence Day and to my coach,” he said, explaining that Kuzin had been his first coach.

Another participant, Liudmyla Shyrokova, said the event offered a rare opportunity to come together during wartime.

“During the war, I don’t attend events, but here I can talk to people, get some positive energy, recharge, and do what I love - running,” she said. “It gives you positivity and inspiration to keep fighting.”

The event also raises money for charity. Part of the registration fees and additional donations will go toward providing health insurance for children whose parents were killed as a result of Russia’s war against Ukraine.

The Vyshyvanka Run was organized by the Taras Bulba Marathon Club NGO and Creative States in partnership with the Children of Heroes charity foundation.

Author: Veronica Filozof.